Darkest Past, Brightest Future
by RandomWriter2011
Summary: The war's over. Harry has given up every trace of magic but still talks with his friends. What happens when Draco show's up one night with news that Voldemort might return? Hermione and Sirius do not seem upset or worried about the news, what are they hiding? A single night can change a lot.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anyhting created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much. **

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There was so much noise. Screams filled the air all around him. Screams of pain, screams of agony, screams of panic and fear. The scent of blood was strong; it filled his lungs like a deep inhale of frosty air on a cold December day. His mind was racing. He couldn't force his eyes to open but he could hear what was going on around him. His body tensed as if someone was about to touch him even though his instinct told him that he was alone.

He could hear explosions happening nearby, people running, and dark laugher that made his insides churn. After a moment the worst thing possible happened. Everything fell eerily silent. There was nothing. No running footsteps, no screams, no explosions, and no curses, there was only silence. There was no longer a sickening smell of blood that filled his nose. There was nothing.

His eyes finally opened. He saw he was standing at the entrance of Hogwarts. He was facing the bridge, he could see the forest beyond it, some of the stones were missing, and most of them looked like they had been broken off by a tremendous force. His mind was racing and his heart began beating faster. He turned slowly and it looked as if everything was in slow motion. Death Eaters were charging the doorway. Blood coated every stone and seeped into every crack. Nagini was following Voldemort as he marched.

His friends were firing spells from their wands as they retreated. Hermione was dragging Ron while screaming things at him that he couldn't hear over the silence. Ron looked severally crushed; his face was stained with tears, blood, and dirt. George looked murderous, his face was red with rage and tears were falling from his eyes.

He watched as everyone was doing their best to hold off the Death Eaters. Just then he saw Neville slice and kill Nagini. As the sword sliced through the serpent everything went back to normal. Suddenly it wasn't slow motion anymore, the screams, fear, and panic was once again filling his ears. The scent of blood was overpowering his nose. He raced towards his friends and began firing curses at Voldemort and his followers.

He watched as his friends prepared themselves for their last stand and wondered why they were risking their lives for him. He looked around, they all made eye contact with them, and in their eyes he found his answer. This was their home, this was where their friends and family were, this was where they all belonged, and this…this was where they prepared to lay down their lives to secure a future for the entire Wizarding world. He stood tall, determined to keep them alive.

The doors blasted open, a curse he could not place the name of rang loud in their ears. A bright light filled the entire surrounding area and when it cleared, a ghastly sight befell his eyes. Everyone he had tried to save, everyone he had cared for…all of them surrounded his feet. Their eyes were lifeless; blood pouring from their mouths…dead bodies now surrounded him. He turned to face his mortal enemy then, a new hatred and determination filling his veins.

He raised his wand and was about to cast every unforgivable, but his wand was blasted from his hand by Draco Malfoy who had used _Expelliarmus_ in an effort to impress his father and the Dark Lord.

"Now, Mr. Potter, you die."

With that, the Dark Lord Voldemort raised his wand and said the two words that would end everything and seal the fate of the Wizarding world.

"Avada Kedavra"

Harry bolted upright in his bed. He was breathing hard and his shirt was soaked with his sweat. His hair hung low in his eyes and clung to his forehead and neck. He didn't know where he was until Ron tore open the curtains that surrounded his bed. Only then did he remember that he was in his and Ron's bedroom inside the new Gryffindor Tower.

"Bloody hell Harry…I thought someone was attacking you in your sleep. I almost brought Hermione in here."

Harry realized how bad he was shaking; he knew he wouldn't be able to calm down now.

"Bring her in…" He said, his voice low as if he was afraid someone would hear him.

Ron didn't ask questions, which Harry was thankful for. Instead he just let the curtain close and left. Moments later Hermione opened the curtain. Harry saw that she was in a light blue top with ruffled sleeves, a tight black skirt that went to her knees, and black heels. Her hair had been done in elegant curls and pulled neatly back into a low pony tail at the back of her neck with two strands of curls on each side of her face. She had on make-up, although not enough for anyone to truly notice, it was very subtle but made her features stand out very nicely.

"Harry…" She said softly then sat down on his bed beside him.

She immediately wrapped her arms around the shaking boy's shoulders; she had placed a towel over her shoulder. He wrapped his arms tight around her waist and began to sob into the towel on her shoulder, thankful it was there so he wouldn't ruin her shirt.

She sat there, running her fingers through his hair slowly while stroking his back gently. She began to hum a comforting tune and rocked just slightly. He calmed down in a few minutes. He was thankful that she never bothered him about things like this and she never repeated them to anyone.

When he pulled back she took the towel from her shoulder and began to wipe his face with it.

"Honestly Harry…it's the morning of Graduation and you look like an utter disaster." She said in a slightly irritated yet caring tone.

He chuckled a dry, sad chuckle and apologized.

"Was it the war again?" she asked, slightly softer, when she had finished cleaning his face.

He dropped his head and nodded; she kissed his scar in a sisterly way and lifted his head. He smiled slightly, thankful she had become the caring sister that he had always secretly wanted. She pulled him from the bed and pushed him into the shower. He let the water soothe his nerves, thankful that Hermione always knew exactly how to calm him down.

He dried and dressed then walked out and was ambushed by Hermione who immediately began to brush his hair into a very stylish way. When she was done it no longer looked unruly and messy, it was brushed neatly back and way from his forehead. He smiled. Together, with Ron, the three of them made their way to the graduation ceremony, which was being held on the Quidditch field since it was nice weather. No matter what happened from this day forward, he knew his friends would always be there to help him.

For so many this day was a wonderful day. Hermione's parents had somehow regained their memories and were so proud of their daughter and hugged her tight. Ron's mother nearly squeezed the life out of them and the rest of their friends while his father had patted them on the back and shook their hands. Everyone was smiling and laughing…everyone except one dark haired Gryffindor. He couldn't understand why everyone had been so happy to leave. How could they just pretend like nothing had ever happened? Even George was smiling and laughing, even though his twin Fred had died in the war. How could he have the strength to move on?

He had to admit to himself that he had been surprised during the ceremony. When he was called and went up to receive his diploma, he had looked out over the audience of attending parents and siblings, he almost froze as he saw his cousin, Dudley. After the caps were thrown and hugs had been given, he left the field and headed towards the castle, planning on running back to the Gryffindor Tower, but had been stopped when his cousin had called out to him.

"Harry, I know I've been a real arse to you in the past but now, I want you to live with me. I've left mom and dad and have my own place. You're welcome to stay with me until you can find yourself a place."

Harry was surprised by the offer. Seeing as he didn't have any other place to go that would grant him peace he had kindly accepted his cousin's offer. He didn't want to stay in any place that reminded him of the person he was supposed to be all his life. No place in the Wizarding world seemed peaceful enough for him, he was certain he'd wake up screaming every night.

He could have gone with the Weasley's but they'd be laughing and carrying on all the time. Hermione's parents would be trying to talk about what had happened since Hermione had erased their memories and he didn't feel like telling them. He didn't want to go back to his aunt's and uncle's and be a slave boy again. He didn't want any ties to his magical life. He had used most of his money on the rebuild that the school had needed and the rest went towards new books, Quidditch gear, and equipment for the classrooms. So, he accepted Dudley's offer.

Once he was packed he left. Dudley had a nice house, two stories, white picket fence, brick mailbox, and good sized yard. It was a good distance away from any neighbors and the inside was done up in hardwood floors, white pristine walls, glass and crystal sculptures, and chandeliers. He was glad when Dudley had simply shown him to his temporary room, told him dinner would be done by 7, and left. He was glad to have space to be able to think and reflect on his memories.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

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Harry woke up from yet another nightmare. They were beginning to become nightly occurrences so he had gotten used to them. He no longer screamed, which was a relief to Dudley, who was in the room down the hall. Harry had moved in with Dudley just after graduation. He had given up magic and had even locked his wand away in a vault. Everything he had kept from Hogwarts was in the same vault as his wand.

Harry sighed and got up. It was time to stop dwelling on the past and go back to work. He dressed in some jeans that were faded, a loose long sleeve plaid shirt, a white t-shirt under the plaid one, and pulled on his work boots. He went down to the kitchen where he saw his cousin reading the paper, breakfast was on the table. He smiled slightly at this; it was still weird to be living with Dudley, even though it had been half a year since graduation.

He hadn't seen his aunt and uncle since before the war, which he was glad for. Dudley still visited them and often told Harry about the visits. He shook his head and sat down to eat as his cousin continued to read through the paper.

"The mall is hiring. They're looking for a Santa, a Salvation Army Donations collector, a Sears's temporary floor salesman…" Harry had tuned his cousin out at this point. He had begun to like his cousin but he wouldn't listen to him talk about what was hiring.

He knew he needed a job. He had no money after spending it on the rebuild of Hogwarts, the new books for the classrooms, new equipment for classrooms, and new gear for the Quidditch teams. Right now he was lucky if he could afford a new pair of jeans.

He had done little odd-jobs here and there. Helping elderly people with their daily errands, babysitting for parents on short notice, helping with after-school programs…he'd even done some Photoshoots for a magazine that had no Photographer oh hand. However, now it was time to get serious. He needed a long term job, something that he could depend on to last long enough to build his fortune back up.

He finished eating, cleaned up, thanked his cousin and left the house. He got in his 1980 Chevy Step side Pickup that Dudley had bought him for his birthday and drove to the house he was remodeling. This house would be his when he was done with it. He had completely stripped all the paper off the walls, stripped the floors, and was now in the process of redoing the plumbing and electrical work. Sure, he could've asked Dudley to hire a professional company to do the remodeling but he needed a distraction so he had taken to the task himself. It was nice to have something to keep him busy.

He had plans of how to do the rooms, but he'd have to ask for Hermione's help on picking the colors. He wanted to keep the rooms in the places they were and just update the furniture and things. There were stains in the walls and floors that he was certain would never come out. He'd have to find a way to cover those up.

He was currently in the middle of rewiring what would be the parlor when his phone went off. He groaned and dusted his hands off before pulling the phone from his pocket. He looked at the caller id and had to smile. She had a knack for knowing when he needed her.

"Hello Hermione" Harry answered, a smile clear in his voice. She was always the one to calm him down after the war when he had nightmares so she was the only one who could ever get him to smile a true, honest smile…but even she could never get his smiles to reach his eyes or get him to laugh a good hearted laugh.

"Harry…my ears are burning again. Are you thinking about me?" There was clearly a laugh to her tone.

"Yes. I was thinking that, when I'm done, you could help me figure out what colors to paint the rooms so that I won't get distracted when I'm in them."

"I expect a little more detail Harry. I can't just do magic out of thin air." She paused and then added quickly, "I'm sorry…I completely forgot"

"Oh 'Mione, its okay…I know you're busy these days. I'll call you when I get the remodeling done, okay? It might be a while though…I'm just now on the lighting."

"Okay Harry, and I really am sorry."

They hung up after saying their goodbyes and Harry returned his phone to his pocket. He went back to the rewiring and kept working until the sun went down.

Harry was about to walk out the door when a flash caught his eye. He turned to look out the window beside the door and noticed it was storming quite heavily. He walked to the kitchen area where there were two wooden saw-horses sat up with a thick board lying on them and sat down on it. He pulled his phone out and called his cousin.

"Hey Dudley, I'll probably be real late. It's storming pretty bad and I don't feel like taking a chance with my life. I'll be in as soon as it stops raining…or at least slacks off."

"Okay, be careful Harry…and for goodness sake don't touch the electrical in this weather, you'll fry your brains out!"

"Will do, thanks for the concern, and see ya soon."

He hung up and lay down. Now, if only he could get some rest.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

* * *

Harry was walking around with Hermione in the now, almost complete, home. The electrical was completed, the plumbing was finished, and he had gotten the floors and walls back in place. They were going from room to room and he was telling her what that room would be used for and she was picking colors that would aid the purpose of the room instead of hinder it.

"This one will be the Parlor, as you can probably tell by the fire place."

"Will you have dark bookcases or curtains?"

"Most likely"

"What about the couches and chairs?"

"More than likely they'll be dark brown leather."

"And the rug in front of the fire place?"

"Probably light grey and thick"

"Then I feel that a darker color on the walls would look good…but nothing too dark. How about a deep shade of red or maybe a dark oak?"

"Sounds good"

He watched as Hermione aimed her wand at the walls and a dark colored light flew out. Once it hit the walls a label for the exact paint appeared and he looked at her.

"There's a copy of each label in your pocket. When you go to the store get these specific paints then come back and paint the right rooms in the right paints. The labels are there so you know which paint is for which room. And go black on the trim and door frame."

He nodded and they continued through the rest of the rooms until they were in the last room which Harry had to fight his emotions in while working on it. It had a great view of the peaceful back yard, now overgrown with brush and trees. Hermione walked in and looked around it while Harry leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed.

"What will this one be used for?"

"My study."

"Oak bookshelves?"

"Yeah"

"And the desk?"

"Oak as well"

"Decorations?"

"Couple of filing cabinets on the left wall, the book shelves on the right wall, grandfather clock by the door, same side as the bookshelves, and a light tan leather couch on the other side of the door. Probably a dark green or red rug under the desk…maybe even a white one."

"Then lighter colors on the walls and trim. Perhaps a beige color for the walls and off-white for the trim and door frame."

He nodded and she did her magic again then turned and looked at him. He had a feeling he knew what was about to happen. She had probably guessed what this room was in the past.

"Harry…I need to know…why did you want to move back in this house? After everything that had happened here?"

"Hermione…it's the last thing, physically, of my parents that I have…I can't explain it but I don't feel saddened or upset while here. I know I should, because it's the place where they were killed, but instead I feel at peace…calm...like I was meant to live here."

She nodded and wrapped her arms tight around his neck. He hugged her back. They stayed like that for a while before his phone went off. He walked to the door with her and they said their goodbyes before he answered his phone.

"Harry, you just got a letter."

"A letter?"

"Yeah…and…not in the conventional way either…"

"Dudley…what do you mean?"

"Harry…an owl dropped it off…a light grey one…"

Grey owl…letter…it couldn't be Malfoy could it?

"Dudley…who's it from?"

"There's no return address on it…and I'm not going to open it."

"Alright…I've got to pick up some paints then I'll be home."

"Hermione already got you sorted?"

"Yeah, I'll be there soon."

* * *

My mind was numb as I mad the drive from the city back to Dudley's house. Why, after all this time, would I be receiving a letter by Owl? I couldn't believe someone had been so…what's the word…I can't even think!

I sighed as I got there. I parked in front and got out. I was scared now…more scared then I had been while fighting Voldemort. I walked in and saw Dudley sitting at the table sipping a drink, the owl was right in front of him as if waiting for a reply, and there it was. The letter lying on the table.

He walked over and, with shaking hands, picked up the letter. It was in a traditional white envelope with black letters that read "Harry Potter" right in the middle of the envelope and nothing more. How did this bloody owl find him?

He sat down and carefully opened the envelope. The parchment inside was black and the letters were done in silver, no doubt at all now…this had come from the Malfoys…

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We have been trying to locate you for quite a while now. We would like you to come over for dinner tomorrow evening. We are extremely grateful for all you have done for our family and would like the chance to say this in person. If you're wondering how we found you, as I suspect you are, it was your friend Ronald Weasley that told us where you had gone. We didn't have to perform any spells, we simply told him we wanted to thank you for what you've done and he gave up your address without hesitation. We look forward to your visit._

It wasn't signed so he could only assume it was from either Lucius or Narcissia, if it had been Draco then surely he would've addressed it as "Saint Potter" or "The Boy Who Lived" or something like that.

Dudley took the letter and read it over.

"Are you going?"

"No, I've got work to do and I honestly don't want any reminders of anything that's happened."

Dudley nodded and Harry looked at the owl.

"You can go. I'm not going to reply."

He watched the owl fly off before throwing the letter in the fireplace and watching it burn. He started dinner and sat down with Dudley to eat. Why did they want to thank him for something like that? Why had he even done it? He couldn't remember but he felt as if they had no reason to thank him. It was Dudley's turn to do the dishes and clean up so Harry went up to shower and go to bed. The last thought on his mind as he drifted off to sleep was the comforting thought that soon he'd be in his new/old home and no one would be able to find him, except of course Hermione.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

* * *

Harry had just finished painting the kitchen and looked out the window, to his surprised it was snowing. He knew it was December and that this was typical weather, but he hadn't expected it to snow today. He chuckled a bit and went to make sure that all the rooms were painted and ready for the furniture to be brought in. As he got back to the foyer he heard a truck pull up outside and went to open the door.

He began helping the deliverers unload the stuff and directed them where to put it. He signed a few forms to prove that he had received his delivery and thanked the guys as they were pulling away. He closed the door then began to move the appliances and furniture into places he wanted them within their respective rooms.

By the time he had gotten everything moved around and decorated just the way he wanted he had realized that it was very late. A yawn escaped his mouth and he stood up. He walked through the house and turned all the lights off. He walked out and locked up.

As he drove back to Dudley's he couldn't help the twinge of excitement that he felt. Tomorrow he would be living in his own house. Dudley was allowed to visit, as were Hermione and Ron, he smiled a bit. A dark shape appeared out of the woods and began racing next to the truck. He glanced over and almost slammed on the breaks. He jumped out and looked at where the figure had been and began shaking. There was no way it could have been…Harry shook his head as the thought began nagging at his mind. He got back in the truck and, while wondering if he was losing his mind, began driving again.

He got to Dudley's and walked in. He saw his cousin sitting at the table reading the paper, like always, and walked over. He was about to say something when he realized Dudley was extremely pale behind the paper.

"Dudley?" Harry called softly but received no response.

"Dudley?" Harry called again a bit louder but still his cousin did not respond.

"Dudley what's wrong with you?" Harry was now beginning to panic.

He reached out to shake his cousin's shoulder but realized that the boy was frozen. He immediately began scanning the room while pulling his phone out. He rapidly dialed Hermione's number while he kept scanning the room.

"Harry?" Hermione answered after the fifth ring, her voice sounding sleepy.

"Hermione…Dudley's petrified…frozen…the door was locked. I need your help."

He waited but she did not respond. He was about to yell at her and demand she tell him she was on her way when he noticed the fireplace changing color and size. In a second the flames were out and Hermione was standing there with her wand gripped tight in her hand.

"Move Harry."

He didn't remember hearing her voice so stern since well before the war and quickly did as she said. She walked cautiously to the petrified boy and used her wand to examine him. In a flash she was grabbing the frozen Dudley's arms and heading back to the fireplace as fast as she could.

"Don't just stand there, come on!" she yelled to Harry as she put the frozen Dudley in the now empty fireplace.

"I know your aversion to magic Harry but we have to get to mine and Ron's house. It's the only place that's safe. I'll go first. Once I'm gone wait three seconds before putting Dudley in and sending him to my house. Then wait three more seconds before following us. Do you understand me? This is not the time to despise magic, we have to go!"

Harry could only nod at the urgent sound of her voice. He watched as she stepped into the fireplace, grabbed a handful of floo powder, called out her home and was gone. He counted out three slow seconds before he put Dudley in and did the same. Then he waited three more seconds before he stepped in with the pot of floo powder, he took a handful and repeated the process. As he stepped out of the fireplace he sat the pot on a nearby table then looked around. Hermione had laid Dudley on the table and was beginning to brew a potion to cure him.

"What's going on here?" Ron asked as he came in.

Harry looked at his best friend, who now wore the look that was fitting on the face of someone that had just seen a ghost.

"Hi Ron" Harry said with a slight smile.

"Bloody hell Hermione…I think I've finally gone crazy. I could swear that Harry was standing right in front of me."

"You havn't gone crazy Ron. He's here. Someone petrified Dudley…while the house was locked."

Ron seemed to get serious at this and went to look at Dudley first while Hermione was still working on the cure then he went to Harry.

"Did anything strange happen before you found Dudley?"

Harry thought about this then remembered and gave a slight nod.

"I had finished up painting the rooms, the truck arrived with the furniture and I got everything arranged the way I wanted it. I locked up and headed back to Dudley's. I was a few miles away when I noticed a dark shadow emerge from the woods and race beside the truck. I got out to investigate but it was gone. I got in and kept going. I unlocked the door and found Dudley at the table. I kept calling out to him but he did not respond. That's when I realized he had been petrified and called Hermione."

Ron and Hermione shared a look but didn't say anything. Hermione finished the cure and quickly used it on Dudley.

"He'll be fine by morning. Harry, why don't you get some rest?"

Harry nodded and left to head to the guest bedroom that Hermione always kept for him.

"How on Earth could it have been Sirius? We both saw Bellatrix kill him." Ron asked as he watched Hermione cast a cleaning spell on the kitchen and rub her head.

"I don't know Ron…but until we figure this out I don't want Harry going anywhere alone. Stay with him Ron."

Ron nodded, knowing that it was the best option at the moment until they could figure everything out. They went to bed and, as the fell asleep, thought about what this could possibly mean for their friend.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

* * *

Harry was walking around his house now. It had been two months since he had been at Hermione's place. The night he had finished his house was back in December, it had taken him almost a year to get the house finished. Now, as he paced in his study, he couldn't help but remember the night Dudley had been petrified.

He had seen Sirius emerge from the woods and run beside his truck but the large black dog had disappeared before he got out of the truck. He shook his head. Sirius was dead, it made no sense. He wandered down to the kitchen to get something to eat. His thoughts were a huge jumbled mess and nothing made sense to him.

He had received constant letters at Dudley's; they just kept coming after that first one half a year ago. He never read them, instead he just threw them into the fire and watched them burn. He had no interest in what the Malfoys' wanted and, after a while, the letters had finally stopped coming.

He was stirring the vegetable soup when his phone rang. He turned the heat down so it wouldn't burn and walked over.

"Hello?" he asked, glancing at the clock he saw it was almost 10 and wondered who would be calling so late.

"Hey Harry" came the familiar voice of his cousin. However, Harry had noticed he sounded upset, maybe worried.

"Hi Dudley, what's wrong?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask…" his cousin said with a sigh.

There was a pause before he continued, "mums sick, dads staying drunk, and this blond turned up asking where you were. He sounded very determined to find you. I didn't give him your address though."

Harry nodded although his cousin couldn't see and sighed.

"Good. Did he say why he wanted to see me?"

"He said he had business to discuss, personal business. He was rather attractive." Dudley said with a dreamy voice and Harry let out a dry chuckle, he'd known for a while his cousin preferred guys.

"Dudley, he's not your type."

"I know, but he's trying to find you…must be important."

"Yea…thanks for the info and keep me updated. I have to go before my stew burns."

"Okay, I'll see ya then."

They hung up and Harry went back to his stew, wondering why the hell Malfoy was trying to find him after all these years. He finished his stew and sat down to eat. He felt like he'd never be able to relax enough to sleep. He just had too many thoughts running through his head: was Sirius really back? If so then how was it possible? Why was Malfoy looking for him? Was Malfoy planning something? There were just way too many possibilities.

He cleaned up the kitchen and went up to take a bath. He let the water soak into his muscles and wash the stress away. He closed his eyes as the water relaxed his stress and tired body. He began washing his body and hair. He got out and dried off before pulling his shorts on. He walked around his house until he got to the parlor where the fireplace was lit. He walked up to it and watched the flames. It reminded him of the war for some reason.

He hadn't been truly happy since before the war, and he was quite certain that he never would be again. Hermione and Ron could make him smile and laugh but it never reached his eyes. They appreciated the fact that he tried and they understood that the war had changed him and pushed him past his breaking point. They both knew that any day now he was bound to explode with all the pent up emotions that he had locked away after the war, they just hoped whoever he exploded around would be able to piece the broken boy back together again.

He sighed and his thoughts turned back to Sirius and Dudley's petrification. It could have been a ghost…but it looked way too solid. He knew he'd never be able to get a descent sleep until he found out what the bloody hell was going on. He put the fire out and turned to head up the stairs to his room. He walked to his bed and sat down. He had converted his parents' old master bedroom into his master bedroom, somehow this house made him feel as though his parents were still with him, and that comforted him in a way.

He eventually lay down and tried to force himself to sleep. He succeeded after a while, but it was not to be a dreamless sleep.

_Harry looked around, confused as to where he was. It appeared as though he was in the Dark Forest. He heard a scream and began walking towards it, he didn't know how he knew but somehow…he knew who that scream belonged to and he knew he had to help. _

_He could hear the sounds of the war in the background but he kept running towards the screaming. His heart was pounding fast and he felt like he couldn't breathe, never-the-less he pushed on. He stopped when he saw a clearing ahead. He could hear the screams coming from it and was about to go forward to find out what was going on but felt a hand grab his arm to stop him. _

_He turned and saw Ron pulling him away. Ron looked frightened and furiously tugged Harry's sleeve trying to pull the boy back towards the war. Harry began to let himself leave with his friend when a pain-filled voice called out over the silence of the woods and the distant sounds of the war. It wasn't the pain in the voice that made him stop, nor was it the agonizing screams. What made him stop was the voice, a voice he immediately recognized. _

_"HARRY! HELP ME!" _

_Harry broke free of Ron's grip and turned to run._

_"Harry no! Leave him! He's not worth it!"_

_Harry ignored his friend's pleas and raced through the bushes and trees. He stopped in the field and the sight made him shake out of fear, anger, and some other emotion. _

_Draco lay in a crumbled heap on the field, his hair was matted with blood and dirt, he had several deep gashes on his face and his arms looked like they had been through a blender. His shirt was torn to pieces and his stomach and chest looked like he had been attacked by a werewolf. His legs were in much the same shape as his arms and there were tears falling from his eyes, mixing with the blood on his cheeks. _

_He lifted his eyes to meet Harry's and his voice became very soft and pleading, the excruciating amount of pain he was in was clear in his voice._

_"Please…don't leave me…help me Harry, please"_

_Harry was about to run and help the boy when bright green light shot through the trees and hit the boy. One last blood-curdling scream filled the air and Harry felt his body drop to its knees and shake uncontrollably. He felt the tears falling from his eyes. As he was about to stand up and run from the clearing the same green light came towards him. _

_"NOOOO!" _

He bolted into a sitting position just as the blast hit him. He was breathing hard like he had just ran a marathon and sweat was dripping from his face and neck, making his bangs stick to his forehead and his hair cling to his neck.

He knew it had been a dream but he couldn't get the look of Malfoy's bloody, broken, pained body out of his mind and could still hear his pleas for help ringing in his ears. He began to shake and quickly got up and pulled his robe on tight. He walked down to get him a drink of water. As he was about to take the first sip a soft knock sounded on his front door.

He put his glass down and walked over to unlock the door and open it. As the light from the hall poured out into the night it illuminated a figure cloaked in all black that stood on his step. The figure raised its head and steel grey eyes met shocked green ones. It was snowing heavily but Harry didn't notice, his eyes were locked on the grey ones in front of him. The silence seemed to stretch on until the other boy spoke.

"Are you just going to stand there staring or are you going to invite me in and out of this bloody snow?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

* * *

Harry was currently wrapped in his warmest robe, his hair messier then ever after the nightmare, and was in the parlor with a fire blazing. He was sitting in the chair closest to the fireplace, staring at the blond that sat on the couch drinking a cup of hot coco with a blanket over his shoulders. He had invited Malfoy in after staring for only a few moments then offered to make some coffee but Malfoy had said it was much too late for coffee and that he'd only accept hot chocolate at this hour so Harry had complied.

He was studying the grey eyes for any clues as to why Malfoy was here and how he had found Harry. He didn't know why but after that nightmare, he was secretly thankful that the blond was here and alive, although he'd never admit it. That was the first dream he had, had of Malfoy since just before the war. In that first dream Malfoy had been warning Harry not to return to Hogwarts because the Dark Lord was waiting for him. Okay, that was a lie. Harry had, had now three dreams of the blond that was currently staring at the mug in his hands. The first was the one where he had warned Harry not to return to Hogwarts for his own safety, the second was the night before graduation where Malfoy had disarmed Harry and the Dark Lord had killed him, and the third was the one he had, had tonight where he heard Malfoy calling out to him and got there just in time to see the killing curse shooting from the trees to kill the boy then himself.

He hadn't realized he was staring until he looked up from the mug in the boy's hands and saw the grey eyes looking at him. He blinked slowly trying to understand the emotion in those eyes. However, before he could decipher it, it vanished and was replaced with a calculating look, as if the blond was trying to figure out what he wanted to say. Harry sat, waiting patiently. Draco looked back at the fire as he spoke.

"When you didn't accept the invitations to visit the manor my parents became very upset. They wanted to thank you, in person, for what you did for us. I didn't know they were planning something until I couldn't sleep one night."

Harry didn't know why but, the way the blond spoke, he found himself almost entranced by the story. He knew he should tell him to shut up and that he didn't want to hear it but he couldn't. Malfoys voice was so soft, as if he was about to reveal some big secret, and Harry found himself wanting to hear more. Malfoy continued after a brief pause.

"I couldn't sleep on many nights…but for some reason I found myself walking the manor on this particular night. The door to my father's study was cracked slightly and I paused to listen. My mother was arguing with my father, which wasn't normal…so I stepped closer to the door until I could see them through the crack. My father was leaning against the wall by the fireplace and my mother had her hands on her hips."

Malfoy looked at Harry now and the former Gryffindor felt a chill go down his spin. Somehow…somehow he knew they had been talking about him. He wanted to know more. He stared at the former Slytherin, trying to beg him to continue with his eyes instead of his voice and, after a moment more, the other obliged the silent request.

"I heard my mother sat to my father 'you can't be serious! That would kill you! The dead should stay dead no matter what you think it'll accomplish!' but my father just shook his head and looked at my mother, pleading her to understand his point of view, he said to her softly 'my dear, if we bring him back then maybe the boy will hear us out. Sirius was the only one, besides Lupin, that Harry ever even remotely listened to…and I'd rather trust the dog than the wolf.' I didn't want to believe what I was hearing. I turned and ran back to my room as quietly as I could. My father had found a way to bring the dead back to life and, judging by my mother's fear, it was a dangerous thing that could kill the very person attempting it. A day later my mother came down to breakfast with tears falling down her face. I knew father was going to do it no matter what."

The blond took a slow and deep breath before taking a drink of his coco. His eyes were once more on the fire and Harry found himself staring at it as well. Lucius was willing to sacrifice himself in order to bring Sirius back just so Harry would accept their thanks? That didn't make any sense.

"My father disappeared for a few days after that. One night Sirius walked into our manor with my father's body in his arms. Mother and I raced to father's side and she announced that he was merely unconscious. Sirius carried him up to my parents' room and laid him on the bed before turning to mother and I. 'I have no intention of following your father's plan. I will not harm my godson. If he wants to harm him then I will kill him if he attempts such an act.' And with that he left. We didn't know where he had gone or what he meant. We asked father about it when he woke up…he told us he didn't want to thank you…instead he wanted to kill you for killing the Dark Lord. Mother and I were appalled to say the least. We left my father after that."

"I was right…"

Harry looked at the blond who was staring at him as well.

"What do you mean you were right Potter?"

Harry told Malfoy of how he had seen the dark figure running beside the truck as he was driving back to Dudley's after just finishing the house and how he had found Dudley petrified.

"I had a feeling it was Sirius that I saw, but I didn't know why Dudley had been petrified."

Malfoy was silent now. He simply stared at the fire, thinking over what Harry had just told him. Why had the muggle been petrified before the former Gryffindor got home? Harry was also thinking about that, only his thoughts were on a different track: Why was Malfoy telling him all of this and was it Sirius who had petrified Dudley so that he and Harry could talk?

Neither one had said a word after Harry's final statement. The grandfather clock in his study chimed three times, signaling that it was three in the morning. Harry locked up and put the fire out; he led Malfoy to a guest room and returned to the master bedroom only a few doors down. As the two boys fell asleep they both had the same thought on their mind: what would happen next and would it be for the better or the worse?


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

* * *

It had been almost two months since that night Malfoy had appeared on his step. He had invited Malfoy and his mother to live with him after finding out they had left Lucius, Malfoy had accepted but his mother had refused. She told them that she would find a house for herself out in the peaceful country side and told them that they were both welcome to visit her. She apologized to Harry for her husband's plan and told him that she had no part in it and bare him no ill-wishes, instead she only wanted to thank him. He could tell she was being honest and had accepted her thanks and wished her a safe trip to her new home.

Now Harry was in his study staring out the window. He didn't know how long he had been standing there, but he found it peaceful to watch the outside world while letting his thoughts run free. He had no idea his former rival was watching him from the door until a soft knock was heard and Harry turned to look at Malfoy.

"I have been informed by letter that Sirius is coming tonight. His bird dropped it off a few minutes ago. It didn't mention why he was coming but I suspect that he wants to talk."

Harry didn't say anything but just simply nodded and turned back to the window. He thought that Malfoy would leave after that but instead the blond walked up to stand beside him. They stood in silence, watching the rain fall, each leaving the other to his own thoughts. After a few more minutes of silence Harry asked in the softest voice he could manage.

"Malfoy, why did you come here and tell me all of that?"

"I suppose I felt I owed it to you. You saved my life more than once and I had the chance to repay at least one of those times. Don't start thinking I like you Potter, and don't expect me to help out around here. I will be hiring a house elf for myself."

Ah, there was that familiar 'I'm superior to you in every way' tone that Malfoy had used all through school. It made Harry smile a little before he realized what Malfoy had said and looked at him.

"Malfoy, I don't use magic in the house and…I'm not too fond of it being in the house."

That earned him a suspicious look from the blond. Whether he was judging Harry, trying to decide if he was serious or not, or planning to start fighting with him, Harry didn't know but one thing was for sure…the blond was definitely thinking of something.

"You don't use magic and don't want it in the house? That's not the Gryffindor I've despised since first year."

Malfoy spoke in a mocking tone as if trying to ignite some of the former rivalry in the dark haired boy beside him. Harry narrowed his eyes and Malfoy smirked. Before it could get too out of hand, a sound made them both freeze. They listened intently and heard it again, a soft, almost inaudible, whine coming from somewhere outside then an even softer scratch on a door. They looked at each other before walking down.

As they neared the hall on the first floor that lead to both the front and back doors they paused again. The scratch and whine, now slightly louder since they were closer, were clearly coming from the back door. Malfoy pulled out his wand as Harry approached the back door cautiously. He reached the knob and turned it slowly before opening it. As soon as there was a large enough crack between the door and the wall a black mass shot through it and raced down the hall. The former rivals blinked in surprise before Harry shut and locked the door and they followed where the black mass had gone.

They entered the parlor side by side but froze a few steps into the room. Sirius Black was standing beside the fireplace. His hands were held out towards it as if to warm them up, his clothes were torn and ripped, and his hair was even longer and messier than it had been all those years ago.

"Harry" he called out softly.

Harry looked at him before walking to him cautiously. As soon as he was within arm's reach the man pulled him into a tight hug and began shaking. Harry pulled back a bit and saw he was crying and quickly wrapped his arms around his godfather tight.

"I don't mean to interrupt but you said you wanted to talk, so I suggest you get to talking."

The two separated and looked at the blond who now stood with his arms crossed a few steps away from them. Sirius let Harry go and sat down in front of the fire. He took a deep breath and looked at both of the boys in front of him.

"Lucius didn't resurrect me. In fact, I had never died. I was in hiding all of these years. I knew someone would plan to kill Harry in the future, call it a hunch. So I stayed in the shadows and followed anyone that felt suspicious. I overheard Lucius talking about the forbidden ceremony and began to shadow him. I was outside listening as he began talking his plan over with Narcissia. I had to stop him before he could continue. I waited in the shadows until I saw him emerge from the house with everything he'd need. I ambushed him as he began setting up. I shifted back and knocked him unconscious then erased his memory of what he had planned to do, destroyed the spell for the ceremony and walked back inside with him. I knew his memory would not stay gone long since I had only enough magic for a temporary spell."

The boys shared a worried look before they looked back at Sirius. Both of them were considering this and Harry was about to speak when Malfoy beat him to it.

"If my father was not planning on bringing you back…then who was he planning on bringing back?"

The room got quiet and Sirius dropped his head. His voice was barely more than a whisper when he finally answered.

"Voldemort"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

"This is pointless Malfoy! I told you I can't do magic anymore!" Harry yelled as he glared at the blond that was currently leaning against the far wall of the parlor, his arms crossed lazily over his chest.

It had been a month since Sirius had told them that Lucius was planning on finding a way to bring Voldemort back. They had contacted Hermione to find out how long it took for a temporary Obliviate spell lasted, she had done some research then contacted them and told them it would only last about a year, year and a half at the most. Malfoy had insisted that they began retraining Harry at once.

"You have to keep trying Potter. Magic is just like everything else, riding a bike, walking, writing…it takes time and practice." The blond said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Malfoy had been a patient teacher; Harry had to give him that. If Harry tried to cast a spell repeatedly but couldn't manage it then Malfoy would remind him of the correct stance and correct way to hold the wand, as well as the correct pronunciation of the spell name. He never lost his temper with Harry, even when Harry lost his and was throwing a class A fit.

Harry growled and began trying again as the former Slytherin kept watching him. They had been practicing from sunrise to sunset every day, seven days a week, for a full month and Harry hadn't done one spell yet. Hermione had come over a few times to see if she could help but she was always the same as Malfoy, it was always practice this and practice that…he was sick of that word.

"I can't fuckin do it! Someone else can fight that monster this time! I'm not going to be ready!"

"Harry James fucking Potter! Do you mean to tell me that the Boy-who-lived not once but twice can't even get one spell? I find that hard to believe. You're not trying hard enough! Focus!"

Harry growled and stomped over to the blond.

"If you think it's so goddamned easy then you give up magic for a few years and then try to cast a spell and see how easy it is! Do you honestly think that I'm not focusing or trying my hardest! I can't even fuckin concentrate!"

Harry hadn't realized that Malfoy was no longer there until the stopped to take a breath and glare at the former Slytherin again. He blinked when he was met with his shadow on the wall. Had Malfoy left the room without him noticing? Harry failed to realize that he had been waving his wand at the blond menacingly the whole time he was yelling until he looked at his hand. He was about to leave and go search for his missing trainer when a soft growl caught his attention.

He froze and looked around. The growl sounded again from behind him and he turned to look to see what was there. He was met with the wall again. The growl sounded for the third time and Harry looked down to see what was making that noise. He tried to hold in his laugh but he couldn't. He dropped to his knees with his arms wrapped tightly around himself.

Sirius, who had been in the kitchen down the hall listening to the yelling for quite some time, walked in to see what was so funny. He first looked at Harry who was now laying on his stomach on the floor, one arm under his head, his other arm pounding his fist against the floor, and he was laughing so hard that Sirius could smell the tears rolling down the boys cheeks. Wondering what was making his godson laugh so hard he began looking around for the explanation. That's when he saw it. A small dog was sitting presumably where Malfoy had been standing.

The dog was no ordinary dog though. It was a pale white color with a small tuft of yellow fluff between the ears just above the eyes and around each paw and the tip of the tail. It was small and could easily fit in the palm of a person's hand. It was a tiny poodle, however that's not what was so funny about it. What had caused the uncontrollable fits of laughter that now sounded through the room was the fact that Malfoys wand was lying beside the poodle.

Malfoy Poodle began growling at the two laughing on the floor, but that only made them laugh harder. Malfoy Poodle wined and decided to leave. He picked his wand up in his mouth and ran out of the room. He went up the stairs to the guest room and jumped up on the bed, curling up on the pillows.

Harry and Sirius went up after they got their laughter under control. Harry sat on the bed as Sirius leaned against the wall.

"I'm sorry Malfoy; I honestly don't know how it happened."

The Malfoy Poodle looked at him with a disbelieving look before getting up and going to sit beside him. He stared at Sirius as if trying to convey a message.

"Maybe Hermione will know how to change him back."

Harry agreed and called his friend. She came over soon after and immediately busted into laugher as her eyes fell upon the cute poodle that was Malfoy. She began chasing him around while calling out to him in a baby voice. After a while she managed to catch him and began rubbing and scratching his ears which, to everyone's surprise, he seemed to enjoy.

She talked to them for a while about the spell, and asked Harry what had happened before he realized Malfoy was the poodle. Harry had told her about what they had been doing, what he had been yelling at Malfoy, and about seeing the poodle. She nodded and thought as she petted Malfoy.

"Your magic seems to be linked to your emotions right now. So try to imagine the scenarios in which you would use the spell you're trying to learn, imagine those emotions. That might help for now until you become accustomed to your magic again."

Harry had nodded and Hermione put Malfoy down and changed him back.

"Not a fucking word! This will never be discussed again!" Malfoy yelled as he stomped out of the room, clearly intending to go and have a relaxing bath.

The three in the room just began laughing as soon as he was out of earshot. This would prove to be a very interesting time for them.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

Harry and Draco were sitting on the couch in front of the fire. It had only been three days since the Poodle incident but already Harry was making some drastic improvements, partially thanks to Hermione's advice about imaging the scenarios he'd be using the spells in and focusing on those emotions. Harry would never admit it but Malfoy was an excellent teacher.

The two of them had begun having normal conversations and it was as if something had changed between them after that accident. Every now and then Harry would glance to the side and see Malfoy looking at him but as soon as he turned to look at the blond, his eyes went back to the fire. This happened on a fairly regular basis and Harry was beginning to wonder what was going through his former rivals mind.

"I think you're ready to fly again." Draco said after about twenty minutes of silence and fire crackling.

Harry looked at the fire. He felt uneasy about this, he was sure he'd fall off the broom and land on the ground with a thud. He hadn't been on a broom since the war, he didn't even join the Quidditch team his last year. He wasn't sure if he wanted to fly again but he knew he'd have to sooner or later. He sighed to himself and leaned back in the couch. He became aware that Malfoy was watching him.

"I don't want to fly again."

"You have to. What would happen if Voldemort did come back and your only means of escaping was a broom?"

"Then I'd die."

"Potter, you're going to get on that broom even if I have to magically glue you to it!"

Harry stared at the blond in shock. He didn't know why but for some reason Malfoy had snapped. Malfoy was wondering the exact same thing: why did the thought of Potter dying make him so upset? The two stared at each other, oblivious to the two people watching them from the doorway.

"I told you it was only a matter of time before one of them began feeling things for the other." Hermione whispered to Sirius, who nodded slightly.

"I was hopeing they'd realize it sooner. Do you think we should tell them the truth?" Sirius asked the young woman who simply shook her head.

"That wouldn't be wise…not now. Harry needs to learn he can't live without magic, he needs to relearn everything. I have a feeling that Lucius will tell them soon. Malfoy probably already has a suspicious feeling, knowing that Slytherin brain."

Sirius chuckled and leaned against the doorframe. The girl had a point. If the two of them had found out the truth now it'd only make things worse. Malfoy would go back to his parents and Harry would, again, give up magic. Then neither of them would know how the other felt. One thing still bothered Sirius though, what role would he and Ron play in all of this?

Harry and Malfoy both broke the gaze at the same time, each looking in the opposite direction. They didn't know why they had started at each other for so long or why neither of them had wanted to look away, and that bothered both of them.

"I'm going to go to bed. We will resume after breakfast."

Harry simply nodded as Malfoy left the room, not even bothering to look at the two who had been watching them. Harry got up some time later and walked to the kitchen for a bite of dinner. He put the rest of it in the icebox and made sure the doors were all locked. The grandfather clock had been moved to the Parlor and now chimed twelve times, telling the four people in the house that it was now midnight. Harry stifled a yawn as he bid the two goodnight and made his way to the master bedroom.

He took a quick shower and laid down under his blankets, after slipping on his favorite shorts. He stared at the picture of his parents that was on his nightstand, both of them frozen for eternity as their young and beautiful selves, holding an infant Harry in their arms. He missed them so much and could only hope that they were happy with him.

He let a tear fall as he closed his eyes, then another, and another, until he had to hide his face in the pillow to muffle the soft cries that came from his lips. That day, when he had been laughing at Malfoy Poodle, he felt a fleeting moment of pure joy, but just as quick as it come it was gone. The laughter never touched his eyes, Sirius, Hermione, and Draco had all noticed that the laughter did not reach the former Gryffindor's eyes. Sirius and Malfoy had been wondering what Hermione knew that they didn't because she had only looked at him with a knowing look. He must have told her something that he hadn't told anyone else.

That night, Harry fell asleep but, just like previous nights, it was not a peaceful one.

_There was so much noise. Screams filled the air all around him. Screams of pain, screams of agony, screams of panic and fear. The scent of blood was strong; it filled his lungs like a deep inhale of frosty air on a cold December day. His mind was racing. He couldn't force his eyes to open but he could hear what was going on around him. His body tensed as if someone was about to touch him even though his instinct told him that he was alone. _

_He could hear explosions happening nearby, people running, and dark laugher that made his insides churn. After a moment the worst thing possible happened. Everything fell eerily silent. There was nothing. No running footsteps, no screams, no explosions, and no curses, there was only silence. There was no longer a sickening smell of blood that filled his nose. There was nothing. _

_His eyes finally opened. He saw he was standing at the entrance of Hogwarts. He was facing the bridge, he could see the forest beyond it, some of the stones were missing, and most of them looked like they had been broken off by a tremendous force. His mind was racing and his heart began beating faster. He turned slowly and it looked as if everything was in slow motion. Death Eaters were charging the doorway. Blood coated every stone and seeped into every crack. Nagini was following Voldemort as he marched. _

_His friends were firing spells from their wands as they retreated. Hermione was dragging Ron while screaming things at him that he couldn't hear over the silence. Ron looked severally crushed; his face was stained with tears, blood, and dirt. George looked murderous, his face was red with rage and tears were falling from his eyes. _

_He watched as everyone was doing their best to hold off the Death Eaters. Just then he saw Neville slice and kill Nagini. As the sword sliced through the serpent everything went back to normal. Suddenly it wasn't slow motion anymore, the screams, fear, and panic was once again filling his ears. The scent of blood was overpowering his nose. He raced towards his friends and began firing curses at Voldemort and his followers. _

_He watched as his friends prepared themselves for their last stand and wondered why they were risking their lives for him. He looked around, they all made eye contact with them, and in their eyes he found his answer. This was their home, this was where their friends and family were, this was where they all belonged, and this…this was where they prepared to lay down their lives to secure a future for the entire Wizarding world. He stood tall, determined to keep them alive. _

_The doors blasted open, a curse he could not place the name of rang loud in their ears. A bright light filled the entire surrounding area and when it cleared, a ghastly sight befell his eyes. Everyone he had tried to save, everyone he had cared for…all of them surrounded his feet. Their eyes were lifeless; blood pouring from their mouths…dead bodies now surrounded him. He turned to face his mortal enemy then, a new hatred and determination filling his veins. _

_He raised his wand and was about to cast every unforgivable, but his wand was blasted from his hand by Draco Malfoy who had used Expelliarmus in an effort to impress his father and the Dark Lord._

"_Now, Mr. Potter, you die."_

_With that, the Dark Lord Voldemort raised his wand and said the two words that would end everything and seal the fate of the Wizarding world._

"_Avada Kedavra"_

Harry bolted awake and jumped as a hand grabbed his arm. He quickly scanned the room. He realized he was on the floor with the blankets wrapped around his left leg, the sheets were still on the bed but barely. He was breathing hard and the sweat was making his hair cling to his forehead and neck. He looked at the hand that was on his arm, then followed up it until he met the concerned eyes of Hermione.

He now noticed that the door was open and Sirius was standing at the end of the bed while Malfoy leaned against the door frame. Hermione was in a dark blue nightgown that reached her ankles, Sirius was in a black long sleeve shirt with grey sweatpants, and Malfoy was shirtless and in black sweat pants.

"Harry it's okay, your safe. Take a deep breath and calm down…no one's going to hurt you."

Harry turned his gaze back to Hermione's worried face and began taking slow and deep breaths. Once his body had relaxed she helped him up and sat with him on the bed. He began shaking and tears began to fill his eyes, she quickly wrapped her arms around him and held him close to her. Like a frightened child would, he reached his hands up and fisted them in her gown right at the shoulders, he began crying softly as she rocked him and stroked his hair, whispering soothing words to her best friend.

After a while he was back asleep and sleeping peacefully, she covered him up and stood to leave but Malfoy's look froze her. He was glaring at her before he turned and disappeared back to his room. She and Sirius shared a look that clearly said "what was that about", Malfoy, too, was wondering why he'd gotten so furius and jealous when Granger had held Harry to her.

The three of them went back to their rooms and went back to bed. Hermione hoped the former rivals would realize their feelings soon. With that thought, she fell asleep, Sirius was thinking the same thing as he drifted off to sleep. Malfoy, on the other hand, was feeling restless and could not find peace. His mind was going many different directions. After about thirty minutes he finally forced himself to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

* * *

The sun rose and shone brightly over the new-fallen snow. Harry, how had been up for quite some time, was sitting outside on the porch. He was in a thick black jacket, dark jeans, boots, and had gloves on his hands. He watched as the birds and squirrels began to play around in the fluffy white bliss. He often wondered what it would be like to have snowball fights or make snowmen. He'd watched his cousin from his window when he was younger, and he watched his friends while he was at Hogwarts. The first time he'd ever thrown a snowball was that one time when he had thrown some at Malfoy and his two pals as they harassed Hermione and Ron outside the Shrieking Shack. He sighed softly and took a sip of this coffee.

"You'll catch your death out here."

He looked up at the soft voice, wondering who else was awake at this hour. His eyes met Hermione's and he gave her a soft smile.

"I know…I was just thinking about the snow."

"Ah yes…the wonderment of every young life. I keep forgetting that you never got to experience such joys."

They stayed in silence as they watched it begin to snow again. It was only a few weeks until Christmas and Harry had no idea what he was going to get for everyone. They only had about five months left before the temporary Obliviate spell wore off Lucius and he was back to trying to revive Voldemort. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he had failed to notice Hermione watching him with a worried look. She could only imagine what was going through her best friends mind.

"Harry…it'll be alright…" Her voice was calm, as if comforting a frightened child.

"Hermione…I'm nowhere near ready! How can I defeat him a third time if I can't even do a simple levitating spell or even manage one of the curses?! He's going to win this time! I can feel it!"

Hermione watched the tears form in the green eyes and spill down his face. She knew he was scared, and she was scared for him. He had a point…with the time they had left there was no way he'd be ready. She had to come up with another idea. Her tip about envisioning the scenarios had helped to unlock the magic, but it wasn't enough to help him learn the spells. No…she'd need a stronger motivator.

Then it hit her. Harry's magic had been locked away by himself, scenarios had helped to unlock it but now they weren't enough anymore. Now he needed to actually be in those situations, to actually feel those emotions. She'd have to find a way to get him into those situations without him knowing what was going on. She'd have to talk to the others, but each of them could only be in one scenario where they died, other than that it shouldn't be a problem, and who knew, maybe they wouldn't have to do a death scenario.

He stood up and looked down in an attempt to hide his tears. He put his coffee down and pulled her into a tight hug while burying his face in her hair. He was glad that she could at least cheer him up but he wanted more. He wanted someone who could make the laughter and happiness reach his eyes, someone he could actually be with…someone who could truly make him feel again.

Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry and held him tight as he cried into her shoulder. The fear had been there the whole time, every time he thought about Voldemort. It was there when he faced Professor Quirrell during first year. It was there when he faced Tom Riddle and the Basilisk during second year. It was there when he faced the dementors and saved Sirius during third year. It was there when he competed in the tournament during fourth year. It was there when he faced the death eaters during fifth year. It was there when all throughout sixth year. It was there when he finally faced Voldemort during seventh year. The fear was there during other events and occurances that happened all throughout every year since first year. The fear was with Harry since the first day of his first year at Hogwarts, it had never gone away. He always knew he'd have to end Voldemort, somehow he knew it even before he knew Voldemort was still alive. He had always been afraid of the future and Hermione had always been the one to comfort him.

Now, as they stood on the porch, holding each other tight, him crying into her shoulder as all the pent up fear poured out of him, she was there, rubbing his back and telling him that everything would be okay. It made him feel better to know that no matter what happened he would always have someone beside him and that he'd never be alone.

Unbeknownst to them, Malfoy was watching from the window. He was glaring at Granger's back but he didn't know why. He didn't having any feelings towards either of them, so why was it he was so jealous? He crossed his arms tight over his chest, his hair still tousled from sleep, and narrowed his eyes as he tried to make sense of the strange emotion that filled him. Sirius came to stand beside the blond and watched the two on the porch.

"I can feel the hatred coming off of you. You really should talk about these feelings."

"I suppose you could tell me what it is that I'm feeling and why?" Malfoys voice held a spark of the icy coldness that he used to always use in school.

"Actually yes, I could."

"Don't" was all he said before he turned and marched back to his room to get dressed.

Sirius sighed. That blond could be really stubborn at times.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

* * *

Harry awoke to the sounds of screaming and panic the next morning. He raced down the stairs, the fact that he was still in his shorts forgotten as fear swept through him. He reached the parlor in time to see Hermione and Ron curled up on the floor, both writhing in pain, and Sirius falling to the floor as a scream tore from his lips. Harry starred at the three in shock then glared at Malfoy.

' _How could he do this?! '_ His mind screamed at him as the anger, hurt, fear, and confussion filled his entire being.

He didn't know what happened but when he woke up he was lying on the couch with a blanket over him. His hearing returned before his eyes could open it.

"I told you that would probably be too much for a first time"

'_Hermione?'_ he tried to say but he couldn't get his mouth to work.

"Yea but look at what he did to Malfoy. That was the push he needed…now we just have to keep him focused and get him to do it again without loosing consciousness…"

That was Ron. Wait…last he saw them they were writhing on the floor…what was going on around here? What were they doing?

"Maybe if we repeat that scenario he'll do it again but with better results." Sirius was saying from some where close to Harry.

Harry realized then that his head was laying on something hard. Must be Sirius's lap. The gentle hand of his godfather was stroking his hair, probably trying to make sure his godson was still alive after all. Harry chuckled on the inside since his mouth still refused to work.

"Shut up already! I do NOT want to repeat that! If I ever hear anyone talking about it again I will kill all of you!"

That was definitely Malfoy. Why did he sound so angry and what did Harry do to him? Harry couldn't remember a thing. A memory flashed through his mind, it was short and only lasted a second. It was of Malfoy's poodle form Harry had accidentally turned him into. He couldn't help but chuckle at that but it was different this time. This time it carried through his vocals and came out as a barely audiable chuckle.

"Harry?"

Sirius again. Harry forced his eyes to blink open and looked up at his godfather with a weak smile.

"Oh harry, thank goodness! We were all getting worried. How do you feel?"

Hermione. He turned his head to look at his worried friend and gave another weak smile.

"I'm fine…but I do have a killer headache. What happened?"

The next thirty minutes were filled with Harry being forced to eat and drink to ease his headache while his friends told him of the scenario they had done and their hopes that it would help him to use his magic again.

Hermione had explained that he had used two spells on Malfoy before he blacked out. One was the Cruciatus curse and the other was the Stupefy spell. Harry had told them he didn't even remember casting any spells. He just remembered the emotions he was feeling and blacked out just after he looked at Malfoy.

"The strain of the magic coming back into use must have caused your mind to black out long before your body did. So you unconsciously casted the spells."

Harry looked at Hermione and smiled slightly. She always had a way to make him feel better about things.

"This just means we'll have to work harder to keep you conscious." Sirius spoke with a laugh.

Once Harry had his strength back they moved back into the parlor and Hermione conjured up a mannequin across the room for Harry to practice on while the other three sat on the couch and just watched.

Hermione instructed him on how to hold his wand and the right pronunciation of the spells. She had him try to cast the Wingardium Leviosa first. Everyone in the room watched expectantly and were pleased when, after the fourth try, he got it right and the mannequin began to levitate.

Hermione had him practice that spell for hours until he could levitate the mannequin without thinking about it. It had been mutually agreed that Hermione would take over the training until Harry was up to seventh year spells and then Malfoy and Sirius would begin working with him.

Hermione had him practice every spell until he could do them without even uttering the incantations. She smiled and they all sat down to eat lunch. Harry had come quite a long way in the few months they had been working with him. They were in the middle of a conversation, Malfoy had surprised everyone by cracking a joke about the outfit Ron wore and that had started a heated argument between the two boys. Sirius slipped out and walked out the back door and into the thick underbrush and overgrown yard.

"I know you're here. You might as well come out."

Silence was his only answer. He kept his eyes closed and his hands in his pockets. A few moments later a man stepped out from behind a tree and walked closer to Sirius, his eyes clearly showing his amusement.

"It's been a long time my friend, I'm glad to see you've come out of hiding."

Sirius opened his eyes and smiled. This was one face he'd missed seeing while he was shadowing Lucius and other former death eaters.

"Lupin, my old friend. How have you been? Still chasing rabbits or have you moved on to chickens?"

Lupin laughed at his friends teasing and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Neither. I have my sights set on a new prey." He said with a grin.

Sirius grinned back and returned the hug before pulling back just enough to stare at the werewolf.

"I take it you're here to help Harry as well?"

Lupin nodded and brought his trunks to them using the Accio spell.

"I thought I'd refresh his memory of the Boggarts and Expecto Patronum. Professor McGonagall is here as well, along with a few other professors. Harry is going to need all the help he can get."

Sirius nodded and helped his friend take his things into the house. He led the way to the kitchen and cleared his throat, causing the eating and arguing group to look up at him.

"We have a few more guests that have arrived to help Harry. I hope you all remember them."

After Sirius said that Lupin walked in and Harry immediately ran over and pounced on the unsuspecting werewolf, who could do nothing but hug him back and laugh. Harry repeated this act with Professor McGonagall, then the two newcomers sat down to enjoy lunch with their former students. Sirius went back to his meal as well. Harry now felt like he had a hope of stopping Voldemort a third time and, if it required it, Lucius, as long as his two professors and friends where nearby to help him.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

* * *

Two months. That's all they had left until the temporary Obliviate spell wore off Lucius. Two months until Lucius tried to bring Voldemort back. Two months they possibly had left together. Hermione had gone home with Ron to have some alone time. Sirius and Lupin had run off to be alone for a while, and Professor McGonagall had left to return to the school.

Harry was standing in his study and looking out over the yard. He had his hands in his pockets and sighed softly. Hermione had graduated him to seventh year magic and now he was left alone with Malfoy. That one thought was enough to make him want to duck under the bed and hide for eternity. Malfoy didn't scare him, and he didn't hate Malfoy either. It was Malfoy's teaching style and personality. One minute he'd be angry and yelling and the next he'd be quiet and calm. Harry never knew what to expect from the blond.

"If you're done staring off into space I'd like to get started."

Harry jumped at the unexpected voice behind him. He turned and saw the blond leaning against his doorframe, arms crossed and hair fixed as perfectly as always. He wore a simple white t-shirt and dark jeans. Harry simply nodded and followed the former Slytherin down into the parlor. What scared harry the most about the teaching style was that Malfoy relied heavily on anger and violence in order to get Harry to fight back.

"Prepare yourself Potter. I won't go easy on you." Malfoy said as he raised his wand.

Harry raised his as well and the two began staring each other down. Both were preparing for the lesson in their own way.

Harry lay on his back, panting heavily, his wand was clutched tightly in his hand. Malfoy was in a similar position across the room. They had been training for three solid hours and Harry had finally been able to disarm Malfoy and blast him backwards.

"I think this was a successful lesson." Malfoy said as he slowly got to a sitting position.

Harry sat up too and nodded, still feeling the pain of Malfoy's blasts.

"Yea…Hermione would be proud." Harry replied with a slight smile.

Malfoy watched the smile with narrowed eyes before he got to his feet.

"I'm going to take a bath and head to bed. It's fairly late."

"It's only four in the afternoon Malfoy; we could fit another training session in before dark."

"I'm tired, Potter."

"Okay then…goodnight."

Malfoy left without another word and went up to his room. He took a very hot shower and leaned back against the wall, he was wondering why he was feeling the way he did. He let his eyes close as the water pelted his body with its hot and relaxing droplets.

He sighed as he thought back to how jealous he had been when he watched Granger comfort Potter after his nightmare a few months ago. He hadn't understood why he had gotten so jealous. What was it that made him act this way?

He stayed in the shower until the water got cold. He turned the water off and stepped out to grab his towel. He dried off and pulled on his favorite black silk pajamas and dried his hair. Once his hair was brushed neatly and the towel put in the hamper, he decided to go down and get some dinner.

He passed the parlor on the way to the kitchen and noticed Potter had not moved from the parlor. He was now sitting on the couch and staring at the flames. For the first time ever Malfoy noticed how handsome the boy truly was. His dark hair that often looked messy now seemed to frame his face in an unusual yet nice way. His eyes, which were normally a vibrant green, now took on a golden orange hue from the fire. Even from this distance he could tell that the former Gryffindors eyes were swimming with emotions and he could tell that he was thinking. His arms now held some defined muscles, not very big ones, but they easily complimented the athletic body. Malfoy could even see slight muscles on his back, even though the shirt.

Without realizing it, his mind started to wonder what it'd feel like to have his hands run over those muscles, to feel them, trace them. His mind began showing him images of him holding Potter as they laid in his bed, images of Potter trailing his hands over Malfoys body in a slow and teasing way, images of him tracing Potters muscles as the two pressed their bodies tight together…he shook his head to get those images out of his head. Just then a voice broke through his clouded thoughts.

"Malfoy? I thought you were going to bed…"

Malfoy looked up and noticed Potter was staring at him. Suddenly his cheeks began feeling warm and he realized he must be blushing. Had the former Gryffindor caught Malfoy checking him out? What if he had? Wait…why did he even care? Why did he care what Potter thought? Why had he started checking the boy out in the first place? He realized he still hadn't said anything and swallowed to clear a lump that was suddenly there.

"My stomach started growling…I was just on my way to get something to eat."

That wasn't a lie; he had originally come down to get some dinner before getting distracted.

"Oh…okay. I've already eaten. I'm going to stay up a while longer though so…sweet dreams."

Potter turned his attention back to the fire leaving Malfoy to his thoughts again. He didn't know why but for some reason he was hurt by those words. Potter had already eaten and, therefore, wouldn't be eating with him.

Malfoy shook his head again as he walked to the kitchen. What did it matter that Potter wouldn't be eating with him? Why the hell did he care about the boy anyways? He sighed to himself as he began fixing a couple of sandwiches and sat down to eat.

Once he was finished he cleaned up and went back to his room. After a few more minutes of his mind showing him those images he fell asleep.

Malfoy opened his eyes and rolled over. One glance at the clock told him it was midnight. He yawned and wondered why he had awoken. He tried to go back to sleep before his dream came to his mind. In his dream he had been in Potters bed, holding the boy as he rubbed against the blond. He could still feel the sensation of their bodies sliding against each other's, the feel of Potters lips on his most private parts and he could still hear the lust-filled moans.

He got out of bed and shook his head. He had been dreaming of an intimate night with Potter, why was that? He needed to clear his head. He pulled on his black robe and walked down the stairs to the kitchen, however as he passed the parlor something caught his eye. He turned and looked. Potter was lying on the couch, his arm was hanging down and his glasses were on the floor under his hand, he was snoring softly and the fire was close to going out. Malfoy walked in and quickly cleaned the ash out of the fireplace, tossed it outside, then came back in and put some new logs in the fireplace. He lit the fire using the Incendio spell. He then conjured a blanket and placed it over the sleeping Potter before placing his glasses on the coffee table and putting his arm under the blanket.

He stared at the sleeping boy for quite some time, but for so reason he just couldn't look away. He watched as his hand reached out and brushed the dark hair away from the closed green eyes that held so much emotion, he didn't tell his hand to move, it just moved on its own. He watched as it stroked the soft cheek and traced down to the slightly parted lips. He forced his hand to return to his side before it touched those lips. He forced himself to turn and walk to the kitchen for a glass of water. He had no idea what these feelings were or why he was feeling this way. He stared out at the moon while sipping the water. What was Potter doing to him? He sighed. Somewhere deep deep deep inside he knew what this meant but he refused to admit it. He would not admit his feelings to anyone, let alone himself.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

* * *

Harry was sitting with Hermione, Ron, McGonagall, Sirius, and Lupin at the breakfast table; they were all laughing and telling jokes. It had been two months since his training sessions with Malfoy, two months since Malfoy had brushed his hair away while he slept without him knowing. McGonagall had given Harry his final test the previous day and he had passed it with flying scores. He was now back to the same level of magic he had when he faced the Dark Lord seventh year, if not stronger.

They had one month left. One more month to practice whenever they felt Harry needed it most. One more month to prepare Harry as best as they could. One more month before the temporary Obliviate spell wore off of Lucius. They had decided to let Malfoy sleep in this morning while they planned a day out for the group, each going off in a group of two to do whatever they wanted. Hermione and Sirius shared a knowing look, they had intentionally planned it already and had everything worked out to where only Harry would be left to go off in a group of two with Malfoy.

"Alright, how is this going to work out?" Harry asked as he looked around at the others sitting at the table.

"I'm going with Ron; we need to shop for new paint and furniture for the parlor and bedroom." Hermione said with a giggle and Ron looked horrified.

"I hate shopping!"

"Oh shut up, you're going with me! It's OUR bedroom so you're going to help!"

Ron pouted but shut up. They all knew that once Hermione made up her mind there was no way you were going against her. The other's laughed at Ron's misfortune.

"What about the rest of you?" Harry asked once he got his laughter under control.

"Remus and I thought we'd go off and roam the woods for a while, see if we can't find some innocent little rabbits to chase then maybe head to the lake for a day of swimming and relaxation." Sirius said with a shrug and Lupin blushed faintly.

Harry turned to McGonagall then and waited politely for her to finish her toast before speaking.

"I must return to Hogwarts. I have to see how the new teachers are settling in and make last minute announcements concerning their teaching methods."

Harry nodded then paused. He realized that meant he and Malfoy were going to be paired up. He sighed and went back to eating just as the blond in question strode into the kitchen, still in his black silk pajamas.

They ate in silence and left when they were done. Harry kept eating as Malfoy had his first cup of coffee for the day.

"Where did they all run off to in a hurry?" He said in a disapproving and slightly annoyed tone.

"They decided that today everyone would go off in groups of two to do whatever they wanted. Ron and Hermione went to go shopping for their bedroom and dishes or something like that. Lupin and Sirius ran off to chase rabbits and swim at the lake. McGonagall left to go back to Hogwarts to check on the new teachers." Harry explained with a shrug as if it were no big deal.

He took a sip of his orange juice as he let the blond soak in all that information. He was just about to take the last bite of his toast when Malfoy groaned. Harry almost smirked at that, knowing that Malfoy just realized he'd be alone with Harry for the entire day.

"So partner, what do you want to do?" Harry asked in the nicest, most curious voice he could muster up without laughing.

Malfoy glared at him, but it wasn't in hatred like back in the school years. No, this glare was mostly annoyance. Though, Harry had no idea why his former rival was so annoyed at having to spend an entire day with him when they'd spent the better part of two months alone training.

"I was planning on going out to see what good movies were playing or what the shops had to offer. However, I can't do any of that if I have to tag you along. You'll probably want to stop and chat with everyone we pass." Malfoy said with a strong hint of annoyance.

Harry looked upset and for some reason that hurt Malfoy. Harry shook his head a bit and leaned back.

"You're wrong. The only people I talk to now are you, obviously since we've been conversing ever since you arrived here almost six months ago, Hermione, Ron, Sirius, Lupin, McGonagall, and, of course, my cousin Dudley."

Malfoy was shocked at this. Harry Potter, the once social butterfly of the Wizarding world, now only spoke to a handful of people? What could have happened to change the former Gryffindor that much? Malfoy shook his head; Potter was indeed a puzzle, and one of the most complicated ones he had ever seen.

"Fine then. We'll go to the town and do just as I've said. However, the first time you stop to talk to someone that you did not mention, we'll split up and go our own ways."

"Deal."

The two boys got up after they were done. Harry, already dressed and ready, washed the dishes and cleaned up the table as Malfoy went upstairs to change and brush his hair out. When Malfoy came down the stairs Harry turned to ask if he was ready but stopped. Malfoy was wearing a dark green shirt that fit him perfectly and was just tight enough to give a brief glimpse of the muscles underneath, black pants, black shoes, and a black jacket, his hair was brushed neatly down and his bangs were brushed off to one side. His eyes looked closer to a light grey cloud than the normal steel grey. For the first time ever Harry noticed how beautiful the boy truly was. Malfoy looked up from where he had been adjusting his sleeves and caught Harry staring at him. A small grin appeared on his face and his eyes started to sparkle with slight mischief.

"Why Potter, I didn't know you were into guys. So tell me, what's your preferred type?"

Malfoy had to choke back a chuckle as Harry blushed bright and turned to grab his keys from the hook by the door.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Malfoy."

Malfoy had to admit that the former Gryffindor was rather adorable when he was flustered. Maybe he could turn this into a game to keep himself entertained for the next month, when they weren't training that is. With that thought they walked out and got in Harry's truck. They headed to the nearest town and Malfoy turned to stare out the window as Harry drove, his mind already coming up with ways to try and get the Gryffindor to blush. Oh, this was going to be so much fun!


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

It had been a few hours since they arrived at the town. They had gone to look in the windows of various shops and even bought a few items. Harry had been true to his statement and did not talk to anyone other than Malfoy, who was rather surprised that the statement had been true.

They were walking back to the truck now and Malfoy was surprised that he had managed to enjoy his day out with Potter, who didn't spend the whole time talking to him and instead only spoke to him when he wanted advice on something.

"What do you want to do now?" Harry asked as they put the bags in the truck and got in.

Malfoy tapped his chin thoughtfully. He thought back to that morning when he'd caught Potter staring and made him blush. He decided to see exactly how many times he could make the boy blush in the next hour and grinned to himself.

"How about we go shopping for clothes, it's a shame that you don't own any tight jeans."

He glanced over at Potter and noticed the slight coloring in his cheeks. _'Success'_ he thought to himself with satisfaction.

"I don't like tight clothes Malfoy…I don't like feeling confined."

"Well, I need some new clothes. What's the finest department store around here?"

Harry sighed as he realized that Malfoy would not give in. He turned down a road to the left and pulled up outside of a huge department store. They got out and walked in. Malfoy found himself surprised, yet again, at the quality and quantity of elegant and fine clothes that filled the shelves and racks of the store.

"The men's section is this way Malfoy"

Malfoy nodded and followed Potter towards the Men's section. He took his time browsing the items before he gathered a few that caught his interest and walked towards the dressing room. Just then a thought popped into his head and he turned to Potter who was now sitting on a bench, looking around with a vacant expression.

"Potter."

Harry looked at Malfoy and sighed a bit.

"What?"

Malfoy grinned a bit.

"Why don't you come help me out of these clothes?"

Harry blushed again and quickly looked away. Malfoy just chuckled softly to himself.

"You're out of you mind Malfoy. Go try the clothes on so we can leave."

Malfoy laughed and went to try the clothes on. He came back when he was back in his clothes, deciding to buy the new ones before he noticed Potter looking at a pair of jeans. He couldn't help himself and walked over. He stopped behind Potter and leaned closer so that his breath would brush against Potters neck and ear lightly.

"You really should buy those."

Harry blushed brighter and quickly walked towards the register, Malfoy started laughing before he got another idea and grabbed Harry's arm. Harry turned around to look at him.

"You need to try them on to make sure they fit before you buy them."

Malfoy chuckled at the flustered look on Potter face, his cheeks getting even redder. He pulled Potter towards the dressing room, much to the former Gryffindor's surprise and horror.

Once they were both inside the room Malfoy locked the door and put his stuff down. He took a look at Potters face and saw exactly how red his face was. He was having too much fun to stop now. He slid his hands to Potters pants and began to undo his belt. He got it undone and got the button on Potters jeans undone before Potter snapped out of it and grabbed Malfoys hands.

"I can take my jeans off myself Malfoy. I don't need your help."

Malfoy looked at him and saw his face was even redder now, if that was even possible. Potter was definitely gay, Malfoy was sure of it. So, he decided to ask in the sexiest voice he could muster up.

"Are you sure you don't want me to finish the job?"

Malfoy almost laughed when Potter opened the door and forced him out. Harry leaned against the wall and began taking slow and deep breaths. Why the hell did Malfoy make him feel like this? He sighed and stayed like that until he felt the heat fade from his face. He tried on the pants before putting his back on and walking out. He handed Malfoy the clothes he had tried on and they both walked to the register to check out.

Malfoy was already beginning to think of ways to get Potter to admit his feelings when they walked to the truck. They put their things in and drove off. Before they could get too far away both of their stomachs started to growl and Harry drove to a fancy restaurant. They walked in and were shown to a table in the back, just as Malfoy had requested. Once they had placed their order they were brought the drinks Malfoy had suggested and then left alone to talk.

"I don't drink Malfoy…" Harry said as he eyed the glass of wine suspiciously. Just what was Malfoy planning?

"Potter, consider this a celebration for completing your training." Malfoy said as he took a sip of his.

Defeated, Harry sighed and took a sip. He took another and smiled a bit, this wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Spending time with Malfoy hadn't been entirely dreadful. Malfoy watched Potter as he took another sip and smiled a bit. For some reason he was glad to see the boy loosening up and having a good time with him. Their food arrived at that moment and they began eating and talking about meaningless things. As they paid and left Malfoy noticed Potter was stumbling just a little bit, apparently that had been his first taste of wine and it had been too much.

Malfoy pulled Potter closer so that he could keep him standing and reached into his pocket to get his keys. They got to the truck and Malfoy helped Potter into the passenger seat and walked around to get in the driver's seat. He drove back to Potter's house and took all the bags into the house before coming back out to help Potter into the house. He picked up the bags and put his arm around Potter's waist to help him up the stairs.

Malfoy put the bags in the rooms that they went to and then helped Potter to his room. He sat Potter down on the bed and began taking his shoes off. He put them by the bed and changed potter into his pajamas. He knew the Gryffindor would be blushing by now but he wasn't entirely himself at the moment. Malfoy pulled the blankets back and laid Potter down under them. He pulled the blankets up over his former rival and was about to leave when two arms shot up from under the blanket and grabbed the blonds arms.

Malfoy turned around to look at Potter. Potter pulled him down and held the blond tight to him as he began rubbing his nose against his former rivals. Before Malfoy could move or protest he felt Potters soft lips against his. Malfoys eyes went wide as Potter continued to kiss him and move against him. Malfoy wanted to give in and just be with Potter but he knew Potter would not remember anything the next morning so, with some effort, he got up and cast a sleeping spell on Potter before going to his room and changing into his pajamas.

As he lay down to go to sleep he couldn't help but trace his lips. It had been just a few weeks since he saw the former Gryffindor asleep on the couch and thought about tracing those slightly parted lips and now he had been kissed by Potter who was drunk on wine. He couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips as he fell asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

"He did WHAT?!" Hermione exclaimed.

Malfoy had his head in his hands, gripping his hair, while staring at the table. Hermione had come over that morning to see how everyone's day had gone. Malfoy was the only there that was awake, Harry was still asleep and the others had not come back yet.

"He kissed me." Malfoy replied.

He had spent most of the morning telling Hermione of what they had done the previous day, the shopping, the dressing room incident, the dinner with wine, and what Potter had done when Malfoy finally managed to get him into bed.

"Do you realize what this means?"

"Yes."

"Harry has feelings for you that he can't explain while he's awake and sober."

"I know that."

"What are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know."

"You have to tell him Malfoy."

"Tell who what?"

They both looked up to see the former Gryffindor they were talking about standing in the kitchen door. He was in nothing but his boxers, his hair was sticking out in all directions from where he had tossed and turned all night, and he was covering his mouth with his hand as he yawned. Malfoy couldn't deny the fact that Potter's kiss had awakened his own emotions last night and the memory of how his former rival's body felt under his hands as he changed his clothes came up. He couldn't help but stare.

"Oh nothing Harry, how did you sleep?"

"Just fine…I didn't have a dream which was a relief."

"That's good, why don't you get some breakfast and we'll talk about taking a group day."

"That sounds good."

Malfoy was surprised by how easily Potter was distracted from one subject by small and simple conversations. That knowledge would definitely come in handy in the future. He watched as Potter got some food and sat down to start eating while Hermione served Malfoy and herself.

Sirius and the others walked in at that time and each began getting their own food and sat down. Hermione pulled out a piece of paper and wrote on it. She then slid it under her hand across the table to the salt shaker that was in front of Sirius's plate. He reached down to get it at the same time and the note was passed to his hand without anyone noticing it.

Sirius put his hand in his lap and read the note. He looked at Hermione with a brow raised and she simply nodded before she began eating. He went back to his own food while thinking about the simple message she had written him.

After breakfast was done and the dishes were washed, the small group went to the parlor to discuss options for the day since they wanted to spend it as a group. Ron suggested going to the amusement park and Lupin and Sirius agreed. Harry tried to get out of it by mentioning his fear of roller coasters but that only made Malfoy grin and agree to the trip. Hermione decreed that today they would be going to every amusement park that they could before the night arrived.

They spent more time talking about times and prices. Harry slipped away without them noticing. He walked to his room and sat down. He really didn't want to go to the amusement park. Malfoy, however, had noticed Harry leaving and followed him with the excuse of needing to go to the bathroom. He leaned against Potters door and watched him.

"You really don't want to go do you?"

Potter just shook his head with his eyes fixed on the floor.

"We don't have to ride any roller coasters, you know that right?"

Potter looked at him then and Malfoy almost walked over to hold him. Potters eyes were filled with hope, fear, and a few other emotions that Malfoy couldn't decipher.

"You mean it?"

Malfoy simply nodded and felt his heart skip a beat when Potter smiled.

"Thank you."

Malfoy didn't reply, he just simply turned around and went to get his wallet from his room and met the others down in the parlor. Harry walked down soon after; his hair brushed, and joined his friends. They all piled into his truck and he drove off towards the closest fair first.

When they arrived they got their own tickets and left in pairs to do whatever they wanted while there. Malfoy and Potter walked off to find a funnel cake stand, Sirius and Lupin went off to ride the water slides, and Hermione and Ron went off to find a tunnel of love or house of mirrors.

Malfoy and Potter were walking around and laughing at a few sights before they spotted Hermione rubbing Ron's back as he threw up in a trash can. The walked over and Hermione looked at them.

"Poor guy…I warned him against riding that coaster but he didn't listen…"

Harry looked at them and talked with them for a few minutes, advising them on what to eat to help him settle his stomach faster then he left with Malfoy to continue exploring the park.

The spotted Lupin and Sirius making out around a corner and just laughed before continuing on. The decided to ride at least the bumper cars and spent the rest of the time at the park bumping into each other's cars or chasing each other around the arena and laughing.

Hermione and Sirius had been talking about what Malfoy had told Hermione that morning.

"It's only a matter of time."

"I know, they're getting closer each day."

Sirius nodded and they watched silently as the two former rivals bumped cars and chased each other around the arena. Lupin was watching with his arms around Sirius's waist and Ron came to stand beside Hermione once he got his stomach under control.

After the sun set the six of them decided to take a little stroll through the park. Sirius was in front with Lupin. Sirius's arm was around Lupin's waist and they were smiling and talking about their future. Hermione and Ron were eight steps behind them, Ron's arm was around Hermione's waist and they were talking about starting a family. Malfoy and Potter were ten steps behind them, Malfoys hands were in his pockets and Harrys were down his sides. They weren't talking; they were just enjoying the night and the peace it brought.

Once the walk was finished the six of them went back to the truck and headed back to Harry's house for dinner and bed. They all fell asleep that night with the memory of the fun they had that day on their minds.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

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Hermione was talking with Harry the next morning at the kitchen table. They were talking about the previous day and Hermione was giggling as he blushed. When he laid his head down on his arms she tilted hers to the side in a confused manner. He groaned and that caused her eyebrow to rise up slightly.

"Harry?" She asked in a concerned tone.

"I don't want to be left alone with Malfoy 'Mione…please stay."

"What happened?"

Harry groaned again and sighed while Hermione just waited patiently for him to speak.

"I went to the bathroom like every morning but the door was closed…I opened it and…well…"

"What? Harry, spill it."

Harry sighed again.

"I saw Malfoy…more like caught him…in a very private moment"

Hermione's eyes went wide as she realized exactly what he meant. She had to cover her mouth to keep from giggling at her friend's embarrassment.

"He had used some kind of spell to create a large screen in the center of the room and…he was watching the memory of the dressing room. Hermione please don't leave me alone with him."

He lifted his head and begged her with his eyes to stay but she just giggled and shook her head. Unbeknownst to them, Malfoy was watching from the doorway, leaning against it, his arms crossed over his chest and his hair gelled back like in school.

"Harry you know I can't stay. Ron and I are going on our long over-due honeymoon, Sirius and Lupin are taking a trip to the mountains, and McGonagall has to sort some problems out at Hogwarts. I'm sorry but you're going to have to deal with this on your own. Besides, it'll be good for you."

"What will be good for me Hermione?" Harry asked as he sat up a bit straighter and glared slightly at his best friend.

"Oops, would you look at the time. I better go; Ron will be waiting at the station for me. I'll be back in a week!"

With that Hermione jumped up, grabbed her jacket and ran out of the house, leaving a confused Harry and slightly confused Malfoy behind. It was only then that Harry noticed the blond leaning against the door. Malfoy looked at him and smirked in an amused way; Harry groaned again and laid his head back down on his arms. This was going to be a long week.

Harry sat in his study, his nose deep in a book that he had recently bought, when a noise caught his attention. He carefully sat the book down and walked to the window behind him. As he looked out he noticed Malfoy walking out the back door and stopping in front of the over-grown back yard. Harry watched as Malfoy lifted his wand and began casting spells to get rid of the trees, thick bushes, and overgrown vines. When Malfoy was finished there was nothing left except a smooth, green lawn. He watched as Malfoy smiled to himself and casted another spell to put up a small fence around the yard and look around with satisfaction.

Harry shook his head a bit; he would've gotten to that eventually. He returned to his desk and went back to reading. Malfoy walked in a few hours later and just watched Potter read his book. Eventually Harry closed the book and returned it to the bookcase to his left, a sign that he had finished the last page of the book. When Harry turned around he noticed the blond leaning against his door and forced a small smile.

"Malfoy, is there something I can help you with?"

Malfoy just shook his head and turned his attention to the hallway, staring at the end while thoughts raced through his mind. He had spent all morning admitting his own feelings to himself, it was only after he had fixed up the back yard that he had finally believed that the feelings he was admitting were exactly what he was feeling towards the former Gryffindor. Now, he was trying to work up the courage to admit them to the object of his dreams and fantasies.

Harry watched Malfoy, he could see the thoughts raging and warring inside the former Slytherins mind. He wondered what was going on with him and why he was suddenly so silent and cold. Malfoy shrugged away from the wall and disappeared down the hall to his room. He had a lot of thinking to do, and he had a week alone with his former rival. Could a week really change that much between them?

Harry tilted his head in a confused way and stared at the spot where Malfoy had just been standing. What was going on with that boy? He sighed and sat back down. Ever since the morning of the shopping trip, when Malfoy had made that statement about Harry being into guys, the former Gryffindor had to admit that something was different between him and Malfoy, although he wasn't sure what. That incident in the dressing room had really shaken up his thoughts and emotions, now he was dreaming about Malfoy, in the most pleasant of ways. Then there was the morning after the restaurant. He remembered having a glass of wine but he couldn't remember anything after that, how had he gotten home? Had Malfoy driven them home and helped him into bed? Did Malfoy change his clothes? When he had woken up the morning after and went to breakfast he heard Malfoy and Hermione talking. It was obvious that they had been talking about the previous night, but when he questioned them they both avoided the subject.

What happened the previous night? Why was Malfoy not looking at him that much now? Harry couldn't remember. It was those thoughts that plagued him the rest of the day, through dinner, and into the bed that night. Malfoy hadn't spoken to him at all the rest of the day and now, as Harry laid down to go to sleep, he couldn't think of anything other than something had changed between the two of them.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

* * *

_There was so much noise. Screams filled the air all around him. Screams of pain, screams of agony, screams of panic and fear. The scent of blood was strong; it filled his lungs like a deep inhale of frosty air on a cold December day. His mind was racing. He couldn't force his eyes to open but he could hear what was going on around him. His body tensed as if someone was about to touch him even though his instinct told him that he was alone. _

_He could hear explosions happening nearby, people running, and dark laugher that made his insides churn. After a moment the worst thing possible happened. Everything fell eerily silent. There was nothing. No running footsteps, no screams, no explosions, and no curses, there was only silence. There was no longer a sickening smell of blood that filled his nose. There was nothing. _

_His eyes finally opened. He saw he was standing at the entrance of Hogwarts. He was facing the bridge, he could see the forest beyond it, some of the stones were missing, and most of them looked like they had been broken off by a tremendous force. His mind was racing and his heart began beating faster. He turned slowly and it looked as if everything was in slow motion. Death Eaters were charging the doorway. Blood coated every stone and seeped into every crack. Nagini was following Voldemort as he marched. _

_His friends were firing spells from their wands as they retreated. Hermione was dragging Ron while screaming things at him that he couldn't hear over the silence. Ron looked severally crushed; his face was stained with tears, blood, and dirt. George looked murderous, his face was red with rage and tears were falling from his eyes. _

_He watched as everyone was doing their best to hold off the Death Eaters. Just then he saw Neville slice and kill Nagini. As the sword sliced through the serpent everything went back to normal. Suddenly it wasn't slow motion anymore, the screams, fear, and panic was once again filling his ears. The scent of blood was overpowering his nose. He raced towards his friends and began firing curses at Voldemort and his followers. _

_He watched as his friends prepared themselves for their last stand and wondered why they were risking their lives for him. He looked around, they all made eye contact with them, and in their eyes he found his answer. This was their home, this was where their friends and family were, this was where they all belonged, and this…this was where they prepared to lay down their lives to secure a future for the entire Wizarding world. He stood tall, determined to keep them alive. _

_The doors blasted open, a curse he could not place the name of rang loud in their ears. A bright light filled the entire surrounding area and when it cleared, a ghastly sight befell his eyes. Everyone he had tried to save, everyone he had cared for…all of them surrounded his feet. Their eyes were lifeless; blood pouring from their mouths…dead bodies now surrounded him. He turned to face his mortal enemy then, a new hatred and determination filling his veins. _

_He raised his wand and was about to cast every unforgivable, but his wand was blasted from his hand by Draco Malfoy who had used Expelliarmus in an effort to impress his father and the Dark Lord._

"_Now, Mr. Potter, you die."_

_With that, the Dark Lord Voldemort raised his wand and said the two words that would end everything and seal the fate of the Wizarding world._

"_Avada Kedavra"_

_The scene changed. _

_Harry looked around, confused as to where he was. It appeared as though he was in the Dark Forest. He heard a scream and began walking towards it, he didn't know how he knew but somehow…he knew who that scream belonged to and he knew he had to help. _

_He could hear the sounds of the war in the background but he kept running towards the screaming. His heart was pounding fast and he felt like he couldn't breathe, never-the-less he pushed on. He stopped when he saw a clearing ahead. He could hear the screams coming from it and was about to go forward to find out what was going on but felt a hand grab his arm to stop him. _

_He turned and saw Ron pulling him away. Ron looked frightened and furiously tugged Harry's sleeve trying to pull the boy back towards the war. Harry began to let himself leave with his friend when a pain-filled voice called out over the silence of the woods and the distant sounds of the war. It wasn't the pain in the voice that made him stop, nor was it the agonizing screams. What made him stop was the voice, a voice he immediately recognized. _

_"HARRY! HELP ME!" _

_Harry broke free of Ron's grip and turned to run._

_"Harry no! Leave him! He's not worth it!"_

_Harry ignored his friend's pleas and raced through the bushes and trees. He stopped in the field and the sight made him shake out of fear, anger, and some other emotion. _

_Draco lay in a crumbled heap on the field, his hair was matted with blood and dirt, he had several deep gashes on his face and his arms looked like they had been through a blender. His shirt was torn to pieces and his stomach and chest looked like he had been attacked by a werewolf. His legs were in much the same shape as his arms and there were tears falling from his eyes, mixing with the blood on his cheeks. _

_He lifted his eyes to meet Harry's and his voice became very soft and pleading, the excruciating amount of pain he was in was clear in his voice._

_"Please…don't leave me…help me Harry, please"_

_Harry was about to run and help the boy when bright green light shot through the trees and hit the boy. One last blood-curdling scream filled the air and Harry felt his body drop to its knees and shake uncontrollably. He felt the tears falling from his eyes. As he was about to stand up and run from the clearing the same green light came towards him. _

_"NOOOO!" _

Harry bolted up right in his bed. The blankets had been thrown off and now covered just the foot of his bed and the floor. He was panting heavily, his eyes were on the wall across from him, and his hands were behind him a bit to hold him up. His bangs and hair were clinging to his forehead and neck from the heavy sweat that was dripping down and coating the rest of his body. One look around told him that he was in his bedroom, safe. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them tight, he buried his head in his knees and his body began shaking heavily.

His bedroom door flung open but he didn't notice. Malfoy stood there and watched his former rival shaking on the bed. Without him noticing his body moving, he walked forward and sat down on the bed behind the former Gryffindor.

One week had turned into two weeks which had turned into three weeks. The others had called in and said they were sorry but other things had kept coming up and preventing them from coming back. There was only one more week left until the temporary Obliviate spell wore off Lucius. Ever since they had left Harry had been having nightmares. At first Malfoy just listened from his room, not sure what to do.

Now, as he sat behind the shaking man, he realized exactly what he had to do. He placed his hands on the trembling shoulders and pulled him back against his chest. Malfoy laid down against the pillows and pulled Potter down against him so that he was lying between his legs with his head on Malfoys chest. Malfoy slid one arm around the shaking body and used his wand to pull the blankets up over them. He laid his wand down and began running his fingers through the dark and sweaty hair. As the shaking slowed Malfoy took a chance and glanced down at the closed green eyes. It was then that he realized all the shaking had been silent sobs; apparently Potter was used to having to comfort himself.

Malfoy sighed softly to himself; there was no way that he could ever hate the former Gryffindor again after this night. He felt Potter move and glanced down to see green eyes looking up at him. He wanted to tell him to go to sleep, to calm down, he wanted to reassure the former Gryffindor that everything would be alright, but he couldn't make his voice work, so he just stared at the green eyes that looked so scared like a frightened child.

After a while Potter broke the silence and Malfoy found himself hating the way his voice sounded so broken and sad.

"You don't have to do this…I'll be fine…"

"Shut up Potter…I'm not going anywhere."

Malfoy noted that there wasn't any anger or annoyance in his own voice, just a calm and reassuring soft tone. Harry noted that as well and nodded a bit. He closed his eyes and snuggled a bit closer to the blond.

"Thank you"

Before Malfoy could say anything he noticed that Potters breath became even and slow. The dark haired former Gryffindor had fallen asleep on his former rival's chest and for some reason that made Malfoys heart skip a beat. He took a slow and deep breath before allowing his arms to tighten around Potters shoulders and let himself drift off into a slow and deep sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

* * *

Harry woke up the next morning feeling very warm and safe. As his mind caught up to his body he remembered last night. He remembered the nightmare, he didn't remember Malfoy coming in but suddenly he had found himself crying against Malfoy's chest and Malfoy didn't do anything but hold him there and stroke his hair. He put his glasses on and glanced up, he was still laying against the former Slytherins chest and his body felt very warm against Harrys. Harry realized that they were both in nothing but their boxers, and that fact made him blush just barely.

He took a chance and looked at Malfoys face. His eyes were closed and his mouth was relaxed, he was still asleep. Suddenly it was as if a fog had been lifted from his mind and he remembered exactly what had happened the night they came home from the restaurant. He remembered Malfoy carrying him up to his room, stripping him, putting his pajama bottoms on him and tucking him into bed. He remembered lifting his arms and pulling Malfoy down on him and brushing his lips against the blonds. He remembered the kiss and how gentle it had been. He remembered how Malfoy hadn't kissed him back and hadn't pulled away but just stayed there with his eyes wide until Harry released his lips.

His face got even redder now and he turned his head to hide it against the sleeping blonds chest. He prayed that Malfoy would not wake up to find Harry hadn't moved but luck was not on his side. At that moment Malfoy began to stir and yawned softly, a sign that he was becoming aware of his surroundings. Harry was worried about how Malfoy would react. Would he yell? Would he curse Harry for not moving? Would he glare and leave Harry to fight against Lucius and Voldemort by himself? He knew they were irrational thoughts and that he shouldn't worry until he saw how his former rival reacted, but he couldn't shut his mind up.

"Potter?"

The soft voice so thick with sleep broke through the storm of thoughts and fears. Harry lifted his head and noticed Malfoy was looking at him with a slightly confused look, but there was another emotion. For a moment Harry could swear it was concern. As soon as green eyes met steel grey ones the blond seemed to remember the previous night and slowly lifted one hand to run it through the dark and messy hair.

"How are you?"

Harry tilted his head a bit as if to consider the question. As his mind pushed the memories of the previous night into the front of the memory train Harry realized what Malfoy was talking about and offered him a slight smile.

"I'm much better. Malfoy…why did you stay with me last night? I mean I'm thankful for it…it's just that you were never this nice to me before."

Malfoy closed his eyes as he kept running his fingers through Potters hair. Harry wouldn't deny that it felt good to have Malfoy playing with his hair like that but he still needed to know what had changed between them.

"You looked so frightened. I guess I was…I don't know. I think I was worried about you. I honestly didn't know what to do Potter, but I knew you needed something. I did whatever I thought would help us both get a good nights sleep."

Harry nodded a bit and closed his eyes to think that answer over. When he opened his eyes again Malfoy was looking at him again. They stared at each other for a long time, neither of them knew why but neither one could find the strength to look away. Malfoy had stopped running his fingers through Potter's hair but he didn't move his hand. He had moved his other arm from around Potters shoulders and folded it under his head but that was it.

Finally Malfoy moved his hand from Potters hair and laid it on the bed beside him. Neither of them broke the stare still. It was another ten minutes before Harry's stomach growled and he decided it was time for breakfast.

Harry started to get up to go make food for them when Malfoys hand shot out from under his head and grabbed Potters wrist. Harrys eyes went wide with surprise and he looked at the hand holding his wrist then at the grey eyes that were watching him. Malfoy didn't remember telling his hand to move, it just did so on its own accord. He watched as his hand pulled Harry's hard enough to make him fall back down but not hard enough to hurt him.

Harry looked up at Malfoys eyes from where he was once again laying against the blonds chest. Malfoys hand still gripped Harry's right wrist firmly. Malfoy lifted his other hand to Potter's other arm and pulled him up a bit more. Keeping Potters right wrist held firmly in his hand, Malfoy watched as his left hand moved under the former gryffindor's chin and lifted it just a bit.

Harry was even more confused now that Malfoy had pulled him closer and lifted his chin. He felt his cheeks getting warmer and his heart skipping beats as he watched Malfoy close his eyes and lean closer. Harry wanted to pull away, he wanted to tell Malfoy to let him go and never say anything about this to anyone, but he couldn't find his voice. Instead he just watched as Malfoy leaned closer and closer until his lips were touching Harrys.

Malfoy felt Potters soft lips against his. Ever since Potter had kissed him that night after the restaurant he had wanted nothing more than to return it but had never had the courage. Now he found himself kissing Potter without any hesitation. Potter didn't kiss him back and he didn't pull away, so Malfoy moved his left hand from under Potters chin to the back of his head. He tangled his fingers in the dark hair and held Potters head there lightly so that Potter could pull away if he wanted to.

He kept kissing the soft lips, unable to make himself stop. He was surprised when Potter seemed to wake up and began kissing him back. Malfoy felt Potters hand slide up his chest to his shoulders then he felt one slide to the back of his head and the other resting on his chest lightly. He moved his right arm so that it wrapped tightly around Potters lower back, pulling the dark haired man tighter to him.

Harry found himself kissing Malfoy deeper, and as soon as Malfoy's lips parted even the tiniest bit Harry found himself sliding his tongue against Malfoys, causing the blond to moan in the back of his throat. The kiss became deeper and more heated, and pretty soon they found themselves moving against each other as the intensity and heat of the kiss grew.

Finally the need for air became too much and they parted just enough to breathe. Harry leaned his forehead against Malfoys and moved his hand from the blonds hair to his cheek and rubbed it gently.

"I take it that we're over the petty rivalry?"

Potter asked, a bit breathless. Malfoy just chuckled softly and pulled his former rival into another deep and passionate kiss. They were definitely not rivals anymore.


	19. Sneak Peak

**A/N: This is a sneak peak at Chapter 1 of the upcoming story Hope Floats. This sneak peak is a reward and gift for everyone who has read this story and stayed with it since chapter 1. Thank you all and I hope you will enjoy this new story just as much as you have this one. Hope Floats will be started just as soon as I finish Love Will Find A Way and Darkest Past Brightest Future.**

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Harry stared at the letter he had just received. He couldn't believe the words that were on the paper. All of his life he had lived with his muggle aunt and uncle when the whole time he could have been living in a mansion. Sirius had been researching more about Harry's family since the only ones the two of them knew about where James and Lilly. Sirius had just sent Harry a letter telling him of everything he had found out.

As it turns out his great great great grandfather on his father's side was a prince who had been disowned by his father but still managed to keep his wealth. So in addition to what his parents had left him in Gringots, he had more inheritance in a bank in Switzerland, where his great great great grandfather had moved after being disowned.

He couldn't believe it. He got up and walked around the common room. He had just been transferred to Hogwarts from another school, it was the middle of third year for most, and luckily for him the lesson plans seemed to be the same as his other school so he had no problems keeping up. He decided to keep this information from Sirius a secret from everyone else for the time being and folded the letter up. He placed it in his robe pocket and walked down the corridor to his first class.

As he entered everyone greeted him excitedly, after all it wasn't every day that Hogwarts got a transfer student. He smiled and shook hands or bowed to everyone that greeted him and chatted happily with them, answering questions about his life and his other school. He noticed a boy sitting in the back that hadn't gotten up to greet him.

The boy in question had short blond hair that looked as if it was almost white. He was currently staring out the window, one elbow on the sill, his hand under his chin as if to hold his head up. He had one leg up in his seat, the other was planted firmly on the ground, and his other arm was lying limply on the desk. His eyes held a vacant expression, as if he was not in the classroom but, instead, in some distant land.

Harry walked asked the others about the boy but they all told him that it'd be a waste of time to try and talk to him, but that only peaked his curiosity even more. He politely excused himself from the crowd and walked over to the boy.

"Hello," he said politely and softly, "my name's Harry Potter, what's yours?"

The boy didn't budge; he didn't even bat an eyelash. He didn't speak, only continued to stare out the window.

"I'm new here, would you mind giving me a tour of the school sometime?"

Still nothing, Harry was beginning to wonder if the boy had been petrified or something.

"I'd very much like to be your friend."

That seemed to stir something behind those grey eyes. The boy finally turned to look at him and scowled.

"I don't need your friendship and I most certainly do not want to give you a tour. As for my name, you needn't worry about it since I have no plans of ever talking to you again. Now leave me alone before you get hurt."

The boy turned to look out the window again and Harry just stood there, dumbfounded. He turned and walked to his seat. The boy in the seat to his left, Seamus he had learned, nudged him.

"That's Draco Malfoy. Not the friendliest person here, it'd be wise to stay away from him. His father's a Death Eater after all; you don't want to get mixed up with them."

Before Harry could inquire anything else the teacher walked in and the lesson began. He decided to save his questions for that night. As the teacher turned around to explain something to a student on the other side of the room Harry pulled out a smal piece of paper and placed a charm on it. He did the same thing to a second piece of paper of the same size and quietly passed the second paper to Ron. Ron looked at him with a confused look but Harry looked at the book as the teacher walked past them.

As soon as the professor's back was turned to them Harry pulled his paper out from under his book and quickly wrote a message.

_Meet me in the library at midnight. Do not freak when you feel a hand but see no one. Come alone._

He watched the words fade and hid his paper under the book again and went back to reading. Ron stared at his paper as the words appeared and quickly nodded at Harry. The rest of the lesson was spent in silence with the occasional question from a student.

At dinner that night Harry found himself bombarded with questions from all houses, including Slytherin. Most of them wanted to know what his life had been like and how he had not received a Hogwarts letter when he turned 11 like most young witches and wizards. Whenever Harry didn't have an answer he'd simply turn the question around so it sounded as if he was asking the person who had asked him.

Everyone was talking excitedly about the upcoming Christmas break and discussing plans. Harry listened to the conversations that surrounded him. Most of his classmates were discussing taking vacations to the same places with their families so that they could be with their friends; others were talking about spending time with relatives that they hadn't seen in a long time. Harry found himself glancing over at the Slytherin table where Malfoy was seated between Crabbe and Goyle. Harry noticed that he wasn't talking to either of them, he was just staring at his food, his head leaned against one fist, his other hand pushing a pile of potatoes around on his plate.

Malfoy glanced up and his eyes met Harry's. They stared at each other for a few minutes before Harry looked at Hermione, who had taken to poking his arm with a fork to get his attention. She was asking him what his plans for the holiday break were; he told her he was staying at the school since his family didn't want him back. She told him that it was awful that his family didn't want him; he simply shrugged and looked back at Malfoy, who was still looking at him. Malfoy wasn't staring like he had been when they locked eyes; he was just looking with a look that resembled curiosity hidden behind the steel grey eyes.

Harry was now determined. He would do whatever it took to get to know the blond and find out what kind of person was locked away behind that cold and emotionless mask. He'd pin Crabbe and Goyle down if he had to and force them to tell him everything they knew about Malfoy. Harry would stop at nothing to get to know Malfoy. Having finished his dinner, he left the Great Hall and headed to Gryffindor Tower to shower and work on his homework. Only one thought was on his mind as he got ready to meat Ron in the Library: "I hope I'll get the chance to get to know Malfoy."


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

* * *

Malfoy walked down the stairs the next morning. He had woken up at about 5:30 and could not get back to sleep so he simply watched Potter sleep. He smiled to himself as he thought about the previous night. Potter had insisted that Malfoy sleep with him, in every sense of the word. They had not gone to sleep until well after midnight.

As Malfoy started the bacon and stirred the eggs he let his mind wander. He could still feel Potter's body pressed against his, his hands roaming every inch of the other's body. He had loved how it felt to have his hands gripping, rubbing, and tracing every inch of the beautifully tanned body. He'd enjoyed the way Potter's lean and athletic muscles felt under his gentle hands. The moans that escaped the former Gryffindor's mouth had turned him on so much that he had been begging for Potter to get on with it.

Then, when the moment finally came, Malfoy had been so high on blissful pleasure that he had hardly noticed the pain. That moment was, to Malfoy, the best moment of his life. It lasted only minutes but Malfoy didn't care, in that amount of time he had been feeling the best he had in a long time.

He smiled as he began to scramble the eggs as the bacon cooled in a bowl on the counter. They had repeated the act several times in various positions, alternating who was on the receiving end and who was dishing out the pleasure. They had collapsed into each other's arms shortly after 1:30 and Malfoy swore he had never felt more peaceful or content. He had wrapped his arms around Harry's lean muscular body and held him tight to his body.

Their legs were intertwined and Harry had placed his hands on Malfoys chest, with his head between them, and drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Malfoy had stayed awake for a bit longer before falling asleep as well.

A noise behind him brought him from his memories; he didn't look because he knew who it was. Harry walked into the kitchen and leaned against the door. He watched Malfoy scramble the eggs, the look in his eyes told Harry that he was deep in thought. Harry smiled as he thought about their night last night and couldn't help the blush that tinted his cheeks. He walked forward but his foot caught on the leg of a chair that was away from the table and he stumbled, scooting the chair with him.

He finally caught his balance and put the chair back. He walked to Malfoy and slid his arms around his waist. Malfoy smiled slightly as Potter kissed his bare shoulder, he had yet to put on a shirt, much to Harry's delight. As soon as the eggs and biscuits were done Malfoy turned to get the plates but Potter stopped him.

Harry placed his hands on Malfoys waist when he turned around and pushed him back against the counter. Harry smiled as Malfoy blushed faintly and leaned forward to place a gentle and light kiss on the soft lips. Malfoy eagerly returned the kiss and soon they were involved in a full-blown make out session, Harry's arms were wrapped around Malfoy's waist. Malfoy had one arm around Harry's waist and the other hand was between Harrys shoulder blades. They were holding each other tight as the kiss deepened.

Malfoy was the first to pull back. He leaned his forehead against Harry's as they both took slow breaths. Malfoy smiled after a few minutes and kissed Harry again before fixing the plates and setting the table. They ate in silence, although every now and then one of them would glance up to see the other watching him with a twinkle in his eyes, causing the other to blush madly. Once they were done Malfoy went to wash the dishes as Harry dried them and put them away. Harry was putting away the last of the plates when Hermione and the others came in.

Harry walked to the Parlor where they sat and smiled in greeting to his friends and godfather. Malfoy was a few steps behind him and nodded in greeting. They began talking about where the other's had disappeared to when there was a knock on the door. Hermione called to the door, telling the knocker to enter. Malfoy watched as his parents came in and stood behind the couch.

"What are my parents doing here?" Malfoy asked as he stared at his parents, wondering why they were together if his father had no memories.

"Malfoy…Harry…We have something to tell you." Hermione said as she looked at them.

"What is it Hermione?" Harry asked as he stared at his best friend.

"You're going to be upset…but you must believe that we only had the purest of intentions…" Sirius stated softly as he moved his hand to hold Lupin's for comfort.

"Tell us." Malfoy stated firmly.

"Well…first off, Voldemort's not coming back. That was a lie. There was never any threat." Sirius said.

Harry and Malfoy exchanged a look then looked at them again.

"Sirius, Lucius, Narcissa, and myself began noticing you two changing towards each other after the war. So we sat down to talk one night before graduation. We decided that you two were too much in denial to notice the changes and that you needed a helping hand. Dudley being petrified was the signal to me that Sirius had set the plan in motion." Hermione spoke as she stared at the fire.

"Before I petrified Dudley I spoke to Lucius. I was in the woods and growled, which was his cue to stage the conversation between himself and Narcissa that Draco would overhear. The next night I waited in the woods for him to come out, when he did we talked for a few minutes. Then I picked him up and laid him over my shoulder as if I had knocked him out and walked back in the house. I laid him on his bed and began conversing with Narcissa and she used a fake wand to make it appear as though she casted the Obliviate spell." Sirius spoke next, his eyes on the floor and Lupin squeezing his hand.

"My mind was never erased; I was never attempting or even contemplating bringing Voldemort back. It upset me when Narcissa had to leave in order to make it more believable. I wanted nothing more than to hold her. I'm sorry Draco, but this really was for the best." Lucius spoke softly to his son.

"This was all a joke? A ploy to get us together?" Harry sounded upset and he stared at Hermione.

Hermione nodded and cleared her throat before answering him.

"Yes Harry…we planned for this to happen before graduation but we didn't have time to plan it out completely. So we planned for it to happen now."

"YOU WHAT?!" Malfoy yelled at the top of his lungs.

They were all in the parlor, it was late and the fire was blazing. Sirius and Lupin were sitting together on the couch that was facing the fire. The second couch was to the left of the first one and formed a right angle with the first couch. There was a small end table between the two couches and the coffee table was in front of both of them. Hermione sat on the second couch with Ron. McGonagall was seated in the recliner that was across from the second couch and to the right of the first couch. Harry was beside the fire place, leaning against it, looking as if he was going to be sick from everything Sirius had just told them.

Malfoy was beside the fireplace and in front of Harry, semi blocking him from view of the others. Malfoys arms were down his sides and his hands were clenched into fists. His normally gelled hair was hanging down and brushed neatly. Both of his parents were standing behind the first couch. Malfoy was shaking with anger.

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU FUCKING SET THIS UP! SO THIS WAS YOUR PLAN ALL ALONG?!"

Sirius, Hermione, Lucius, and Narcissa all just nodded. Hermione was looking at the floor, her hands clasped together in her lap; Sirius was staring at the fire, his left hand in his lap and his right hand holding Lupin's. Lucius had his arm around his wife's waist and both of them were watching their son. They knew this would upset him but they had no idea how bad.

"Draco, it was for your own good. You needed to realize your true feelings." Narcissa said softly to her son, hoping to ease some of his anger.

"MY OWN GOOD?! HOW THE HELL WAS THIS FOR MY OWN GOOD?! YOU MADE US BELIEVE THAT THE DARK LORD WAS COMING BACK JUST TO GET US TOGETHER?!"

"Draco…we knew you loved him but were worried that you would never admit it to yourself. You don't need to be alone and Harry is perfect for you. Son, we just wanted you to be happy and we knew you'd never come to find him without some kind of excuse."

That seemed to cut through Malfoy's emotional wall of anger and hatred. He didn't hate Lupin, McGonagall, or Weasley because they had nothing to do with this plan. He also didn't hate Potter because he was another victim. No, he hated the four that had come up with this plan. How dare they mess with his life like that!

Before he could go on another rampage he felt himself being pushed just a bit. He watched as Potter raced from the room and heard his footsteps echo up the stairs followed by a door slamming shut. He glared at the four who had caused this scene.

"Now look at what you've done!"

The four that came up with the plan, Hermione, Sirius, Lucius, and Narcissa, all looked down. Malfoy glared at them once more before he ran out and went to Potters bedroom. He opened the door slowly and looked at the object of his affections. Harry was lying on his bed, face down, his arms were folded under the pillow and his face was buried in the pillow. His sobs, although muffled by the pillow, still echoed softly in the otherwise silent room. He closed the door behind him and walked over to the crying man who had so completely stolen his heart.

"Harry…"

Harry didn't acknowledge him in anyway, he just kept sobbing into the pillow. Malfoy was afraid that Potter would go back to hating him for this, even though they both knew it wasn't either of their faults. Malfoy walked over and sat down beside Harry on the bed and began rubbing his back before he lay down beside him.

"Harry…I know your upset, hell I am too…but please don't cry. We'll talk about this with them okay?"

Harry still didn't say anything so Malfoy stayed there, rubbing his back gently, his other arm folded under his head. After a few minutes Harry had run out of tears and could no longer cry, he decided to speak and his voice was thick with fear and how upset he was.

"I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to leave…I wouldn't want to be with someone whose friends planned the relationship…"

Malfoy was shocked. The savior of the Wizarding world, the one who had stolen Malfoys heart, had now cried his eyes out and feared that he would leave. Malfoy shook his head but realized that Harry couldn't see him and spoke softly.

"Potter…I'm not going anywhere. I would've worked up the courage to get with you eventually, I'm kind of glad they did that."

Harry moved his head from his soaked pillow and looked at the blond beside him.

"Really?"

Malfoy nodded.

"Yea…and Potter, I think it's time we moved to a first name basis." Malfoy said with a slight smile as he moved his hand to rub his cheek lightly.

Harry smiled and snuggled closer to him.

"I'd like that Draco"

Draco smiled and held Harry tight to him.

"One more thing Harry"

Harry lifted his head and looked at him.

"What is it?"

Draco smiled and kissed him lightly, he kissed Draco back smiling.

"I love you."

Harry paused and stared at him, he was unsure of what to say. He'd never been told by anyone that they loved him, not even his friends. Was he capable of loving someone? Was he ready to be loved? Is this what he wanted? He wasn't sure; Draco seemed to sense this and just held him tighter. They forgot about the group of people in the parlor and let sleep overcome them.


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

Draco woke up before Harry the next morning and smiled as he thought back to last night. He had confessed his love to Harry. He had been surprised and Draco could see the millions of questions racing behind the green eyes that had so completely captured his heart and soul. He knew Harry would need time to come to terms with everything and he was happy to give him that space.

He kissed the sleeping beauty's forehead and got up slowly so he didn't disturb Harry's sleep. He then slipped down the stairs and intended on going to start breakfast but soft chatter stopped him in his tracks. He could hear three or four people talking in the parlor but sounds coming from the kitchen indicated that someone was making breakfast. Cautiously, Draco walked to the parlor and peeked in. Sirius and Lupin were snuggled together on the couch facing the fire, Ron was on the floor infront of the talking with Narcissa.

Draco looked around the room and noticed his father standing by the fireplace looking at the pictures Harry had placed there when the house had been completed, they were of his parents and some from his past school years. Lucius turned when he sensed his son had entered the room and nodded to Draco. Draco was about to speak when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Hermione standing there with a small apologetic smile, her hair was pulled back and she had an apron on.

"Good morning Draco."

She said politely and a bit cautious, he could hear the worry in her voice. He knew she remembered last night and was worried he'd hex her or something. He simply nodded to her and she turned to the others in the room.

"Breakfast is ready."

They all moved to the kitchen and sat at the table as Hermione brought the food in with Ron's help. Once everyone had a plate, drink, and was seated Hermione turned her attention to Draco.

"How's Harry?"

Draco lifted his head as the worry in her voice caught his attention. It wasn't the same kind of worry she had when she said good morning to him, this was a different kind of worry and it worried him.

"He's resting peacefully…he cried most of the night though…"

He noticed the concern that flashed through her eyes and lifted his left eyebrow which made his father smirk.

"That's good…" Hermione started but sighed when she noticed the look in his eyes, which told her she wasn't fooling him, and continued, "I was worried…after the war he became very emotional. There was even a time when he had to be put on suicide watch. Ron and I watched him every second of every day, it was awful…the fear that we'd find him bleeding from a slit wrist or hanging from a rafter. I'm always worried that he'll relapse at some point."

Draco watched as the tears began to swell up in her eyes and fall down her cheeks. She continued after a short pause.

"That's why I didn't tell either of you until I was certain that you two had at least realized your feeling for each other. I didn't want to be the cause of his relapse, if he relapsed. I'm so sorry that we planned all of this, I really am. I honestly meant it when I said we had the best of intentions in mind. You two never realized it but you both belong together. Please…please understand. Harry's our friend and he means the world to us, we just wanted him happy. Please don't let him hate us."

By the time she finished she was crying so hard that her hands were shaking and she couldn't even hold her fork. She placed her hands over her eyes and sobbed into them as the fears of her friend hating her and the worry that he'd get so upset by this that he'd relapse all exploded out of her. No one made a sound as they watched Hermione. Draco finally got up and moved to sit beside her, what he did next surprised everyone, including his parents.

He wrapped his arms around Hermione and pulled her into a tight embrace. He rocked her slowly and traced slow, small, soothing circles on her back as he let her cry into his bare chest. He laid his cheek against her head and just continued his actions until the sobs slowed to hiccups. He leaned back and placed a finger under her chin to lift it up. As he spoke he used his napkin to wipe her eyes.

"I promise neither of us hate you Hermione. Infact I want to thank you. I would have gotten up the courage eventually but thank you for taking care of it for me. You're right and wrong about my feelings towards him. You were right about them changing towards him after the war, but you're wrong about me liking him. Let's leave it at that for now. I can tell he needs time to think all this through so it's best if we all just give him some space for a while, but I know he doesn't hate you either. Don't worry."

He smiled slightly at her and she smiled back. She hugged him tight as she thanked him and he hugged her back. His parents, along with the other three, were stunned at Draco's sudden change in behavior towards others. No one knew what to make of it. Luckily a throat clearing distracted them. They all turned to see Harry standing in the doorway, he had his hands in the pockets of his jeans, his feet were bare and he was shirtless. He spoke as he kept his eyes on the floor.

"He's right 'Mione…I don't hate you. However, I would appreciate it if you guys would leave me alone for a few days, give me time to process everything and sort things out."

Everyone nodded and Harry glanced up at Draco for a moment before he disappeared back up the stairs and his door was heard shutting. They all looked at each other, all of them had the same thought on their minds. Each of them felt as though something had happened in Harry's past that prevented him from having a relationship, but none of them knew what it was or if there was anything like that at all. Other than what they witnessed with their own eyes or what he told them, none of them had any clue as to what happened with Harry. Draco went back to his seat and they all began eating again. Draco promised himself that he'd wait until Harry was ready, then he'd find out the questions he was curious about.


	22. Chapter 21

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

* * *

Harry had asked Draco to let him sleep alone for a while. It had been three months since they had found out that Hermione, Lucius, Narcissa, and Sirius had planned the whole thing. He knew that the nightmares only stayed away because he was sleeping curled up against Draco and he knew that they'd come back, but he didn't care. He needed time to come to terms with everything. He had also made Draco promise that he would not come in when he heard Harry having a nightmare, Draco had promised with great reluctance.

Harry was currently sitting at his desk in his study. He was reading a book that he had stopped reading years ago. It was one of his sixth year text books, he had recently retrieved everything he locked away and was now going through it again as he put it up where it went. All the moving pictures of his parents, him and his friends, and even some of Draco that no one knew he had, were all hanging on the walls in the parlor, the ones of Draco were in Harry's room.

Harry sighed softly and closed the book, he left his hand on the book, his right hand was on the desk and he was just staring at the book. He had decided to let his hair grow out and it was now down to his ears on the sides. He couldn't even think the blonds name without the memories of the first night they shared together coming back. He turned and looked out the window; the view from his window always helped him to relax. As he stared at the sky he became aware that someone was moving around in the back yard. He looked down and saw Sirius and Remus walking to a blanket that was spread out on the grass. He watched as Sirius laid down first and Remus lay down with his head on Sirius's stomach. Sirius began running his left hand through Remus's hair as his other arm folded itself under his head. Remus had his hands folded on his stomach and they just lay like that as they watched the clouds.

Harry wanted that. He wanted to lie against Draco like that and just spend the time in comfortable silence. He sighed. Before he could be with Draco he had to accept his past…he had to move on. He stood up and went to his room. He grabbed his jacket, keys, and his wallet. He left a note for everyone and got in his truck. He drove out of town and just kept driving. He drove until he reached the place he needed to go. He stood out and walked down the dirt road and followed it deep into the woods. This was something he should have done a long time ago.

Hermione walked to the kitchen to prepare dinner but stopped when she found the note on the table. She ran out to Sirius and Remus after reading it.

"Harry's gone." She said as she handed the note to Sirius.

He read it and passed it to Remus before standing up and going to wash up for dinner. Remus and Hermione walked back to the kitchen and Hermione got started cooking as Remus sat down at the table. Ron walked in with Sirius and Remus passed Ron the note. Hermione finished cooking and set the table before she took her usual seat and they all began eating in silence. Remus was the one to voice the thought that was on all of their minds.

"What do we tell Draco?"

They all looked down, each of them knew exactly how the blond would take this and none of them want him to leave Harry. Before any of them could think of anything, Draco walked in. He had escorted his parents to the train station. Draco walked into the kitchen after hanging his coat up and noticed the tension and silence. Then he noticed that Harry was not at the table.

"Where's Harry?"

None of them spoke. They all just let their heads hang and laid their silverware down. Draco felt a lump forming in his throat and a knot building in his stomach. Something wasn't right.

Hermione stood up and walked to him. Without saying anything she pulled him into a hug and just held him.

"Draco…Harry's gone. He went to close a chapter that he had been keeping open for a long time. He needs to do this in order to move on."

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked as he took a step back.

Hermione picked up the note Harry left them and handed it to him. Draco stared at the note; he carefully traced the words before he began reading. As he read he felt the tears forming in his eyes.

_Everyone,_

_I'm sorry about leaving without saying anything. I saw Sirius and Remus in the back yard and I realized that I wanted the same relationship with Draco. I want to lay with him on the soft grass, watch the clouds and gaze at the stars. I want to lay with him in comfortable silence and enjoy the peace. However, I cannot have that kind of relationship with him as long as one chapter of my past remains open. One ended when Ginny married Neville, but one still remains open. I have to go visit him and get the past resolved. Hermione, I thank you for keeping this a secret. If Draco returns before I get back, please let him know that I will come back. It'll be a few days, I'll need time to finally accept the fact and cope with it. Goodbye everyone, I'll see you all when I return._

_Love,_

_Harry James Potter._

Draco dropped the note and looked down at the floor. Harry had to close a chapter with another boy…who was it? Was Harry secretly having relations with someone else? He had to know. He looked at Hermione.

"The only thing I can tell you is the name of the place, but nothing more."

Draco nodded and he and Hermione walked to the parlor so she could tell him in secret. Sirius and Remus had guessed that Harry was hiding his past but decided to wait until he told them what it was. Ron, being Harry's roommate for their entire school life, knew his past and the secret long before Hermione found out. Once Draco knew the name of the place he raced to get his broom and raced out to the back yard. Hermione went back to dinner as Draco flew off at full speed.

Draco found Harry's truck and flew down a bit closer, he found the trail and landed. He followed the trail until it ended at a wall of trees. He leaned his broom against a tree and walked through the trees. He found himself at a relatively small clearing with a huge cherry tree right in the center.

Draco looked and saw Harry was on his knees under the tree, just a few feet from the trunk, and in front of him was a grave. He noticed Harry was sobbing with his hands on his thighs and his head bowed. He walked over slowly and stopped just about five feet from Harry. When he spoke, he made sure his tone was soft and gentle.

"Harry…"

Harry jumped and spun around. He froze when he saw Draco standing there. He quickly tried to wipe his eyes to hide the fact that he had been crying.

"Draco, what are you doing here?"

"Don't hide it Harry, it's okay to cry. Hermione told me the name of the place after we all read your note…what's going on?"

"Draco…there's…something I need to tell you…"


	23. Chapter 22

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

Harry was sitting on the ground now, Draco was sitting in front of him, they were still at the grave. Draco stared at Harry as he waited for the former Gryffindor to speak. He had been stalling for thirty minutes, trying to find the words, but was scared Draco would leave, Draco knew that. Finally Harry took a deep breath and lowered his head, his voice was soft.

"Back in second year I began noticing how I'd stare more at other boys than I would girls. At first I thought I was a freak until I noticed Ron checking Neville out one day. I voiced my concerns and he told me that it was alright because there was a chance that I was gay. I was shocked but suddenly everything clicked into place. All through second year I would stare at other boys instead of doing school work. Hermione began tutoring me in the common room at nights. Third year was no different. I'd stare, Hermione tutored, and we went to sleep. Then things changed…"

Harry paused to take a deep breath. His hands were beginning to shake and he needed a moment. Draco was absorbing everything. So Harry had been gay since second year? Why had he been with Ginny then? Hopefully Harry would explain this part. Harry continued.

"Just before fourth year started, as we were on our way to the Quidditch World Cup, I met Cedric Digory. He was handsome, polite, and his father was very kind. I had never travelled by port key before so when I landed I fell on my arse. Cedric helped me up. Later on, about a week after school started, I was walking to the Great Hall for dinner when I heard a conversation in an empty class room. Cedric was talking to Ron about me. He was asking Ron what I was like and if I was gay and all of that. I left, I didn't know why Cedric was asking that but I wanted to be surprised. The next day, at lunch, Cedric slipped me a note on his way to his seat, asking if I'd meet him in the Room of Requirement at midnight. I did. When I walked in Cedric was sitting on a large couch. I walked over and joined him. We sat in silence for a few moments before he asked me to be his boyfriend. I was shocked. We slept together that night, not in a sexual way just holding each other."

Harry paused again to take another breath to steady his nerves. Since he kept his head down he didn't see the glare in Draco's eyes. Draco did not like this story one bit but he decided to save his thoughts til the end, he had to know everything and he would not interrupt Harry.

"Cedric and I began seeing each other secretly; we were both worried about how others would take our relationship so we kept it hid. When his name was drawn from the cup I felt my heart sink to my stomach. I was so afraid that something would happen to him. Then my name was drawn. I was glad I'd be able to encourage him through the tournament. That night we met secretly and decided to spend it together properly. We made love all night. When I found out the first task were dragons I had to warn him. Then the maze came…"

Harry had to pause again, not because he was out of breath or anything, but because he was shaking so hard. Draco knew this was hard for Harry but for some reason he was no longer upset with him for being with another person.

"It started with me stopping him from attacking Krum who was in some sort of trance. Then he pushed me aside and ran for the cup. I ran after him and he got wrapped up in those vines. For a moment I wanted to run to the cup and just take it, but I didn't. I went back and saved him then we both ran to the cup and grabbed it, but it was a port key and we were transported to the grave yard. I watched as he was killed without trying to save him. I could've pulled out my wand and struck down Wormtale before he even got his wand out but I didn't…I just stood there and let Cedric get killed!"

Harry was in tears now. He had his knees up to his chest and his arms around them. He buried his head in his knees and cried softly before continuing.

"Then mine and Voldemort's wands connected and several dead people, including my parents and Cedric, all appeared. My dad told me they would linger long enough for me to get to the cup and leave…Cedric asked me to take his body back. I wanted nothing more than to hold him one last time but I couldn't! As soon as I was covered I raced to Cedrics body and accioed the cup to me, transporting me and Cedrics body back to the others. I couldn't help but just sob as I told Dumbledore what had happened. The rest of that year passed with me in grief, depression, and self-loathing. I had never even told Cedric I loved him! I should have but I didn't!"

The tears became too much for Harry by that time. He couldn't even breathe through the sobs. Draco understood now. He understood why Harry couldn't love Draco, he understood why Harry seemed hesitant about everything concerning being with him. He knew why he needed time. He had been in love before but his lover had died before he could mutter those three words. He had never told Cedric he loved him and that guilt had been with him for a long time. Draco moved to sit beside harry and held him tight as he sobbed.

Harry sobbed for a long time before finally managing to get himself under control. When he seemed to calm down Draco decided it was time to ask.

"Why did you date Ginny?"

Harry wiped his eyes and looked at the ground as he answered.

"I thought that if I got with a girl that everything would just go away…that it'd be like none of it had ever happened…but I was wrong. It only made it worse. We broke up a week after we got together. She didn't take it too hard because she was secretly in love with Neville…the depression was too much…"

Harry stopped and looked at Draco.

"You were in love with Cedric…"

"Yes."

"You never told him you loved him…"

"Yes"

"You lost your virginity to him, and he to you…"

"Correct."

"He died you blamed yourself."

"Yes."

"That's why you can't be with me?"

Draco was getting furious now. If that was the only reason that Harry couldn't be with him then why couldn't Harry have said so the first night they were together?

"That's right…I'm sorry…"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't know how you felt about me…I didn't want to mention it if you didn't feel that way…I'm really sorry Draco…"

"I have to go Harry. I need to think about this."

Harry started tearing up again. He knew this was Draco's way of breaking up with him before they had even gotten together formally.

"Draco please don't go, I need you right now."

Draco stood up and looked at Harry, sad steel grey eyes met with sad, teary green. He knew Harry needed him but for some reason he didn't want to stay. He turned away from Harry and apparated out of the woods and back to the kitchen.

Harry stared at where Draco had just been standing, he had begged the blond not to leave him but he had. Now Harry was alone. He had lost Cedric when Wormtale killed him in the graveyard and now he had lost Draco after telling him the entire truth. He couldn't take it. The depression was beginning to wrap around him like a tight blanket on a cold December night. Harry stood and walked to his truck as the tears fell. He had closed the chapter with Cedric by visiting the grave, placing flowers on it, saying his goodbye and muttering that he loved him. He had been ready to start his life with Draco…but he left. Harry got in his truck and drove. He didn't know where he was going but one thing was for sure, he would not stop the depression this time. He would let it take over his body and consume his soul. He didn't belong here anymore.


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

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"You WHAT?!" Hermione yelled.

She had heard someone in the kitchen and had come to investigate. Draco had been sitting at the table with his head down and she had asked him what was wrong. He had told her that Harry had told him his past and that he had apparated out of the small clearing.

Now everyone was in the kitchen. Sirius and Remus were holding each other and leaning against the wall by the icebox. Ron was standing behind his wife looking at Draco with a look of concern, fear, and apology mixed in his eyes. Hermione was shaking with anger at Draco's stupidity.

"Tell me your joking Draco! You apparated out of there when he begged you not to go?! You apparated out when he told you the truth?! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!"

Everyone in the room felt sorry for Draco right now, they all knew how it felt to have Hermione's wrath turned on them and none of them wanted to go through it ever again, but now Draco was receiving the full wrath of the Granger girl. When she was like this there was no way to calm her down.

"I didn't know what else to do! I needed to think about everything and I wanted to tell him that but something in me told me not to and I just…I just apparated."

Hermione's face was red with anger and Ron was starting to fear she would bust a blood vessel or something.

"you IDIOT! DON'T YOU REMEMBER ME TELLING YOU ABOUT US HAVING TO PUT HIM ON SUICIDE WATCH?! DID YOU EVEN STOP TO CONSIDER WHAT THIS WOULD DO TO HIM?!"

Draco looked at her now as if she'd grown a second head. She sighed.

"Draco, I told you about three months ago that he had to be put on suicide watch after the war, remember? That was a partial lie. The suicide watch was first put on him after Cedric died. He was so completely depressed. It was taken off once he got with Ginny and then they broke up. He seemed fine but then after the war he began getting depressed again because he kept picturing Cedric dying for the second time during the battle."

Draco remembered the talk now but this new information had him on his feet in a matter of seconds.

"Now he's told you the whole truth, most of it none of us in this room know, and you apparated away from him, that could send him into a relapse Draco. If that happened I will never, I repeat NEVER, forgive you!"

Draco stared at the floor. He could feel his eyes tearing up and for once he didn't try to stop or hide it. He let the tears fall. Had he just caused the beloved Harry Potter to relapse? What had he done? He had to find him! He didn't give it a second thought as he apparated back to the field. He looked around but didn't see Harry anywhere.

He ran to his broom and flew as fast as he could towards where the truck had been but it wasn't there. He followed the tire tracks as far as he could before they disappeared on the paved road. He knew he could fly and search for hours without finding a single sign of Harry. He landed in a large open field and sat down with his legs crossed. He laid his wand in front of him and closed his eyes. He tried to focus his mind to catch a glimpse of Harrys but all that he found was darkness and cold. He jumped up and grabbed his wand. He remembered a spell that would let his wand track another wand which, if performed on Harrys wand, would lead him straight to Harry, since he always carried his wand with him. He got back on his broom and took to the sky again, his wand pointing him North. As he flew a song came to his mind but he shook his head and kept flying.

He began seeing smoke and was fearing the worst. He landed and ran to the source. His heart dropped to his stomach when he saw Harrys truck at the bottom of a steep incline, on its roof, with dents everywhere and glass shattered. He used his wand to put it back on its tires and yanked the door open. Harry was laying against the steering wheel, his hands were hanging limply by his sides and blood was dripping down onto the floorboards. He was bleeding badly from his legs, back, sides, and forehead as well. Draco pulled him out and onto the ground, he dropped to his knees and began stroking Harrys bloody hair as the tears began to swell up in his eyes.

Harry had one arm on his stomach from where Draco had pulled him from the truck and Draco placed his hand on Harrys and began speaking softly through the tears.

"No…oh merlin no. Harry please…open your eyes please. Harry don't go please, I love you."

The former Gryffindor didn't respond. He didn't open his eyes or murmer words of comfort. There was no rise and fall of his chest and, upon further inspection, Draco discovered that he was barely breathing. Draco sent several sparks into the air to alert Hermione and the others to come as fast as they could but he knew there was a chance they wouldn't get there in time. He leaned down and wrapped his fingers around Harrys limp hand on his stomach, the tears falling down his cheeks now. His other hand kept stroking the dark and bloody hair. The words of the song came back to him and this time he began singing them softly.

_**Flower gleam and glow,  
Let your power shine,  
Make the clock reverse,  
Bring back what once was mine.**_

_**Heal what has been hurt,**_  
_**Change the fates design,**_  
_**Save what has been lost,**_  
_**Bring back what once was mine,**_  
_**What once was mine...**_

Hermione and the others saw the sparks from the back yard and immediately raced to where they came from. Once they arrived Hermione sent the fastest among them, Sirius, to get an ambulance as she and the rest ran down to where Draco was crying over Harry's limp body. She felt her own tears falling and turned to her husband for comfort. Ron wrapped his arms tight around his wife and held her as the tears fell from his eyes as well.

Remus walked over and placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. The blond spun around and fell into the werewolfs embrace. Remus held Draco tight to him as he sobbed against his chest.

"It's my fault…it's all my fault. Harry's gone because of me. It's all my fault."

Remus just sat there in silence, holding the sobbing blond tight, as they all waited for the ambulance.

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**A/N: Don't worry, Harry's not completely gone. The song is from Tangled. **


	25. Chapter 24

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much. Memories are in italic.**

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Draco was standing in the study; he was staring out the window and watching the snow fall. Hermione and Ron were at their house raising their new daughter. Sirius and Remus were on their honeymoon, and McGonagall was still taking care of business at the school.

Draco thought back to two years ago, the day in the graveyard, when he had apparated away from Harry. The memory came back to him, slamming into him with full force.

"_It started with me stopping him from attacking Krum who was in some sort of trance. Then he pushed me aside and ran for the cup. I ran after him and he got wrapped up in those vines. For a moment I wanted to run to the cup and just take it, but I didn't. I went back and saved him then we both ran to the cup and grabbed it, but it was a port key and we were transported to the grave yard. I watched as he was killed without trying to save him. I could've pulled out my wand and struck down Wormtale before he even got his wand out but I didn't…I just stood there and let Cedric get killed!"_

_Harry was in tears now. He had his knees up to his chest and his arms around them. He buried his head in his knees and cried softly before continuing._

"_Then mine and Voldemort's wands connected and several dead people, including my parents and Cedric, all appeared. My dad told me they would linger long enough for me to get to the cup and leave…Cedric asked me to take his body back. I wanted nothing more than to hold him one last time but I couldn't! As soon as I was covered I raced to Cedrics body and accioed the cup to me, transporting me and Cedrics body back to the others. I couldn't help but just sob as I told Dumbledore what had happened. The rest of that year passed with me in grief, depression, and self-loathing. I had never even told Cedric I loved him! I should have but I didn't!"_

_The tears became too much for Harry by that time. He couldn't even breathe through the sobs. Draco understood now. He understood why Harry couldn't love Draco, he understood why Harry seemed hesitant about everything concerning being with him. He knew why he needed time. He had been in love before but his lover had died before he could mutter those three words. He had never told Cedric he loved him and that guilt had been with him for a long time. Draco moved to sit beside harry and held him tight as he sobbed. _

_Harry sobbed for a long time before finally managing to get himself under control. When he seemed to calm down Draco decided it was time to ask. _

"_Why did you date Ginny?"_

_Harry wiped his eyes and looked at the ground as he answered. _

"_I thought that if I got with a girl that everything would just go away…that it'd be like none of it had ever happened…but I was wrong. It only made it worse. We broke up a week after we got together. She didn't take it too hard because she was secretly in love with Neville…the depression was too much…"_

_Harry stopped and looked at Draco. _

"_You were in love with Cedric…"_

"_Yes."_

"_You never told him you loved him…"_

"_Yes"_

"_You lost your virginity to him, and he to you…"_

"_Correct."_

"_He died you blamed yourself."_

"_Yes."_

"_That's why you can't be with me?" _

_Draco was getting furious now. If that was the only reason that Harry couldn't be with him then why couldn't Harry have said so the first night they were together?_

"_That's right…I'm sorry…"_

"_Why didn't you tell me sooner?"_

"_I didn't know how you felt about me…I didn't want to mention it if you didn't feel that way…I'm really sorry Draco…"_

"_I have to go Harry. I need to think about this."_

_Harry started tearing up again. He knew this was Draco's way of breaking up with him before they had even gotten together formally. _

"_Draco please don't go, I need you right now."_

_Draco stood up and looked at Harry, sad steel grey eyes met with sad, teary green. He knew Harry needed him but for some reason he didn't want to stay. He turned away from Harry and apparated out of the woods and back to the kitchen._

Draco shook his head hard to get rid of the memory and turned his attention back to the snow. He remembered what happened next as clear as a bell. He remembered the panic when he couldn't find Harry, the fear of what Hermione had told him of the suicide watch before and after the war. He remembered the urgency that he felt, the urgency to find Harry, and the horror and shock of finding Harry's wrecked truck and how his heart broke when his love did not respond, move, or show any sign of life.

Just then he felt arms slide around him and tensed a bit. He caught a whiff of the scent of the skin and relaxed against the person behind him. He moved his hands to the hands around him and felt the soft lips kiss his neck. Soft words whispered against his skin which made him shiver and his eyes closed.

"You're thinking about it again."

Draco smiled a bit and rubbed his thumb over the arm wrapped around his stomach.

"I can't help it, that was the worst day of my life. I almost lost you."

Draco turned around and wrapped his arms around Harry, whose green eyes where shining brightly with the memory and a bit of mischievousness.

"I'm just glad you were the one to save me from my past and the darkness that almost overcame me that day."

Harry placed his hand on Draco's cheek. Draco smiled slightly and placed his hand on Harrys as he nuzzled his cheek to his husband's hand. They had gotten engaged two weeks after Harry was released from the hospital and they had gotten married that same summer.

Harry leaned closer and kissed Draco's lips. Draco kissed him back and pulled him closer. Before they could get much farther a cry broke the silence. They parted and Draco chuckled softly.

"Looks like little Lilly is awake."

Harry smiled and they walked down the hall to a light brown door. Harry opened it and they walked in. Draco smiled and walked over to the beige bassinet in the corner of the room. He leaned down and picked up a little girl with blonde hair and green eyes. Harry smiled as he watched his husband and daughter. They had adopted her just a few months ago right after she was born, the poor mother had been killed and the father couldn't raise the child on his own.

Harry kept watching as Draco changed Lilly and took her down stairs to wash her. He couldn't believe how perfect his life had become. One thing was for sure though, thanks to the plan cooked up by Hermione, Sirius, Lucius, and Narcissa, Harry and Draco had found their Happily Ever After.


End file.
